Steve Rinaudo takes a lead off third base after a seventh inning triple in the Oaks game against Centralia, WA on July 2. The Oaks won the contest by a final score of 9-3. Photo by Joe Blenkle

Fair Oaks 9, Centralia, WA 3 (League: 16-1, Overall: 19-2) - July 2 @ Laurel Creek Park, Fairfield, CA - After three teams went 2-1 in the Northern Division of the Western Amateur Baseball Federation Tournament in Fairfield, it was up to tiebreakers to decide who would play who to begin the three-day championship round.
    Fair Oaks, B&L Properties and the Sonoma Rebels all finished with identical 2-1 records, with Albuquerque the odd team out at 0-3. Head-to-head records were the first tiebreaker and with everyone knocking everyone else off, it went to the second tiebreaker - total runs allowed.
    Unfortunately for the Oaks, they allowed the most runs between the three teams, giving up 20, while B&L gave up 17 and Sonoma 12. So, the Oaks found themselves seeded third in the championship round and their first opponent was the South Division's No. 2 team - Centralia, WA - who had also finished with a 2-1 record - beating Petaluma 1-0 and Redwood Empire 8-2, before losing to Yolo Post 77 on Friday, 4-1.
    Fair Oaks got off to a shaky start in the first inning. Playing as the "visiting" team for the fourth straight game, the Oaks went out in order in the top of the first against Centralia's pitcher Jeremy Johnson.
    Centralia then came back to score three runs in the bottom of the inning to put Oaks starting pitcher Steve Rinaudo in a hole. Five of the first six batters reached base on a leadoff walk and four hits. Rinaudo struck out the third batter of the inning and then a double play from second baseman Kyle Richardson to shortstop Chris Dennison to Mickey Weisser at first ended the inning with no further damage being done.
    After a 13-3 loss in their previous game, Oaks fans may have wondered if Post 383 was on the road to another loss. But that question was answered over the next few innings as Rinaudo and the Oaks' defense shut Centralia down.
    Centralia had base runners in the second, third and fourth innings and even managed to get a runner as far as third in the fourth, but each time the Washingtom team failed to score - and it came back to haunt them.
    In the top of the fifth, Fair Oaks came back to tie the game - partially because Johnson suddenly lost the plate - and partially because Rinaudo aided his own cause with a timely hit - only the Oaks third of the game.
    Johnson got Dennison to fly to right field to start the fifth and then struck out right fielder Trevor Lewis. But then consecutive walks to third baseman Jason Lomascola, catcher Joe Holguin and left fielder Nikolai Rowe loaded the bases. Rinaudo then came to the plate and slapped a base-clearing double to center field to tie the game at 3-3.
    The Oaks took the lead in the very next inning as Weisser led off with a home run to right field to put the Oaks up 4-3. Center fielder Ryan Stevens then hit a ball to second that was booted and was moved up on a bunt by Dennison that went catcher to first. Pinch hitter Tyler Robertson followed with a walk and that put Johnson out of the game in favor of a new pitcher - Joe Weshinsky.
    Weshinsky got Lomascola to ground to short with the throw going to third to get Stevens for the second out of the inning, but then the next batter - Holguin - sent a fly ball to center field that was dropped and Lomascola and Robertson both scored to give the Oaks a 6-3 lead.
    Centralia went out in order in the bottom of the sixth and the Oaks came back for three more runs in the top of the seventh. Rinaudo led off the inning with a triple into left center and then walks to Robert Butler and Weisser loaded the bases. Centralia again switched pitchers, with Brett Hultberg taking the mound, but he immediately gave up a walk to Stevens to force in Rinaudo and make it a 7-3 game. Ryan Appledorn then hit into a double play, with the pitcher fielding the ball and throwing home to get Butler and the catcher relaying to first to get Appledorn. The Oaks weren't to be denied, however. Robertson, the next batter, delivered a base hit to left field to score Stevens and Weisser and make it a 9-3 game.
    Andrew Leduc came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and after giving up an infield hit and a walk, settled down to strike out the next batter and then get a pop to third and a 5-4 force at second to end the game.
    The victory guaranteed the Oaks two more games and a possible shot at the championship on Monday.

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
FAIR OAKS	0	0	0	0	3	3	3	9	6	3
CENTRALIA, WA	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	3

Fair Oaks: Pitching - Rinaudo, Leduc (7) and Holguin. Top Hitters - Rinaudo 3x4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI; Weisser HR; Robertson 2 RBI.
Centralia: Pitching - Johnson, Weshinsky (6), Hultberg (7) and Knutz. Top Hitters - Gabler 2x3; Duffrin 2x3; Brown 2 RBI.