Fair Oaks' Cameron Barr takes a short lead off first in the sixth inning of the Oaks Area 1 Playoff game against B&L Properties. Barr reached base on a leadoff base hit and later scored to give Fair Oaks a 2-0 lead. Photo by Joe Blenkle

B&L Properties 6, Fair Oaks 4 (League: 13-3, Overall: 31-9) - July 23 @ Laurel Creek Park, Fairfield - Fair Oaks lost its Area 1 opener to B&L Properties Wednesday night as B&L overcame a 3-0 Oaks lead to win the game 6-4.
    Fair Oaks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in a game that started an hour and a half late, mostly due to the 15-12 slugfest between El Dorado and Chico that preceded it.
    Second baseman Ryan Dettman led off with a hit to left field and catcher Ben Schwefel followed with a hit up the middle to give the Oaks two base runners with no outs. Shortstop Cameron Barr bunted the runners over and then designated hitter Bret Gibson's hit up the middle scored Dettman to give the Oaks the early lead.
    Oaks starter Charlie Robertson struggled a bit in the opening innings as two B&L runners reached base in the first with one out, but failed to score due to a timely double play.
    In the second, B&L loaded the bases with no outs as catcher James Mossholder got a leadoff hit, right fielder Sam Hedrick doubled and then first baseman John Shaltens walked. But again, Robertson escaped any damage as he got the next two batters to pop up on the infield and the third flew out to right to end the inning.
    The game remained 1-0 until the top of the sixth when the Oaks added two insurance runs. Barr led off the inning with a hit up the middle and then with one out,  left fielder Cole Carter sent a ball deep into center that went for a double and scored Barr to make it 2-0. Right fielder Michael Garber was then hit by a pitch from B&L starter Mike Torrance. Third baseman Andrew Gutierez was the next batter, grounding the short with the play going to second to get Garber and Carter advancing to third. Gutierez beat the throw to first to avoid the double play. With two outs and runners at the corners, Oaks fans could predict what was coming. Gutierez got picked off first and while in the rundown, Carter charged for home and scored before Gutierez could be tagged out. This gave the Oaks a 3-0 lead.
    But then the bottom fell out. Robertson walked the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the sixth, prompting a pitching change as Taylor Sanders took the mound. Sanders got the first batter on a ground ball back to the mound, but then walked B&L's Ethan Gibbons to load the bases. Center fielder Christian Torres was the next batter and he sent a fly ball into left. Carter in left appeared to have a bead on it, but  apparently lost it in the lights and it dropped in scoring a run and keeping the bases loaded. Sanders then walked second baseman Mike Norris to force a run in and B&L third baseman Pat Ferrell followed with a hit to right to bring home two more runs and give B&L a 4-3 lead. Norris also tried to score, but was easily tagged out at the plate by Schwefel for the second out of the inning. Sanders, however, hit the next batter and then designated hitter Kyle Coburn singled into center to score Ferrell and make it a 5-3 game.
    The Oaks faced a new pitcher in John Russell to start the seventh and Russell put Post 383 down in order. Sanders allowed a two out double in the bottom of the inning, but B&L couldn't bring the run around and the Oaks came back to make it a one run game in the top of the eighth.
    Schwefel led off the inning with a walk and with one out moved to third on a hit to right field by Gibson. B&L sent a new pitcher to the mound as Ryan Anderson took over for Russell. Josh Glaser greeted the new pitcher with a long fly ball to center that allowed Schwefel to tage and score and make it a 5-4 game.
    Lyle Hobart took the mound in the bottom of the eighth for the Oaks, but gave up a leadoff hit to Norris. He struck out the next two batters, but a passed ball advanced Norris to third and he later scored on a wild pitch to make it a 6-4 game.
    The Oaks managed a leadoff base runner in the top of the ninth as Gutierez hit a ball toward short that took a crazy spin as the shortstop dove for it. But that was all the offense they could muster as the next three batters went out in order.
    The loss dropped the Oaks into the loser's bracket, giving them the tough road to the Area 1 championship. One more loss and they are eliminated or five more wins for the title.

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
FAIR OAKS	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	4	7	3
B&L PROPERTIES	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	-	6	9	2

Fair Oaks: Pitching - Robertson, Sanders (6), Hobart (8) and Schwefel. Top Hitters - Gibson 2x4; Carter 2B.
B&L Properties: Pitching - Torrance, Russell (7), Anderson (8) and Mossholder. Top Hitters - Mossholder 2x4; Hedrick 2x3, 2B; Gibbons 2B.