Fair Oaks won the 2007 Western Amateur Baseball Federation Championship in Fairfield with a 6-1 victory over Yolo on July 4. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Fair Oaks 6, Yolo 1 (League: 9-2, Overall: 24-6) - July 4 @ Laurel Creek Park, Fairfield - Fair Oaks won its second Western Amateur Baseball Federation Championship in three years with a 6-1 victory over Yolo in the July 4 championship game at Laurel Creek Park in Fairfield.
    After Oaks starting pitcher Taylor Sanders sent Post 77 down in order in the top of the first, the Oaks came back to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning off Yolo starter Sean McGinnis.
    Post 383 second baseman Keith Jennette led off the inning with a walk and with left fielder Troy Spivey at the plate, moved to second on a passed ball. Spivey then sent a fly ball to right field that allowed Jennette to tag and move to third. Catcher Bret Gibson's hit to left field scored Jennette from third to give the Oaks a 1-0 lead.
    Yolo evened the game up in the top of the third. With one out center fielder Ryan Juarez got a hit to right center. With second baseman Sal Hernandez at the plate, Juarez attempted a steal of second. The ball got away from Gibson resulting in no throw, and then Juarez took third on another loose ball to give Yolo a runner on third with one out. Hernandez walked, and then with two outs, a hit to left by Yolo designated hitter Mike Turay tied the game up at 1-1.
    The Oaks came right back with a three-run inning in the bottom of the third, however, to take a 4-1 lead over Post 77.
    Spivey led off the inning with a hit to left field and with Gibson at the plate, Spivey stole second. Gibson walked and then with one out a hit to center field by Oaks center fielder Brian Stamps scored Spivey to make it a 2-1 game. With left fielder Josh Glaser at the plate, Stamps stole second. Glaser grounded to third, but the ball was bobbled resulting in no throw and the Oaks had the bases loaded. Shortstop Cameron Barr then sent a fly ball to right that allowed Gibson to score from third for a 3-1 lead. The Oaks' fourth run came home on a trick play. With first baseman Matt Haney at the plate, Glaser got picked off first, but while in a rundown between first and second, Stamps came home from third to score before Glaser was tagged out to give the Oaks a 4-1 lead.
    Fair Oaks scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth after two were out. Jennette started things off with a hit to left field and then scored on Spivey's double to left field to make it a 5-1 lead. Gibson followed with a walk and then Spivey scored to make it 6-1 as Abel Alcantar hit a ball to third that took a weird hop over the third baseman's glove for a hit.
    Ben Schwefel relieved Sanders on the mound in the sixth and despite giving up a leadoff hit to Yolo's Brendan Gill and a two out walk to Juarez, escaped the inning with no Yolo runs scoring.
    The Oaks went out in order in the bottom of the sixth and Fair Oaks' Mark Lincoln took the mound in the top of the seventh to close the game out. Scott Heinig and Ian Sunderland went down quickly on strikes, with third baseman Ryan Williams coming up as Yolo's last hope. Lincoln struck him out looking to end the game and give the Oaks the 2007 WABF Championship.   

TEAM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
YOLO
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
3
FAIR OAKS
1
0
3
2
0
0
-
6
6
1


Yolo: Pitching - McGinnis, Hernandez (4) and Matteoli.
Fair Oaks: Pitching - Sanders, Schwefel (6), Lincoln (7) and Gibson. Top Hitters - Spivey 2x4, 2B.