Manhart 7, Fair Oaks 3 (League: 4-4, Overall: 9-9-1) - June 23 @ William Land Park, Sacramento, Calif. - Fair Oaks' inability to cash in on several bases loaded situations contributed to its fourth league loss of the season as Manhart Post 391 defeated the Oaks 7-3 at William Land Park. Manhart went up 2-0 in the first inning as shortstop Nolan Kipp reached base with one out. Oaks starting pitcher Kevin Jackson struck out Kipp, but the ball was dropped and rolled away from catcher Shawn Wheeler. His throw to first was high and Kipp was safe. Manhart catcher Matt Caselli then delivered a golf shot to center field and Kipp scored on right fielder Connor Lee's hit to right to make it a 1-0 game. The throw came home to try to get Kipp, but was late and Caselli advanced to third on the play. Caselli then scored on a hit down the right field line by center fielder Ryan Searles and Post 391 owned a 2-0 lead. Manhart added another three runs in the fourth inning as Searles led off with a double. He scored on first baseman Ryan Pratt's hit to right and then third baseman Jake Coyle reached base on a ground ball to third that resulted in a bad throw to first. With Manhart pitcher Jeff Johnston at the plate, a balk call on Jackson brought in Pratt from third and advanced Coyle to second. Coyle went to third on a wild pitch and then scored as another balk was called on Jackson, giving Manhart a 5-0 lead. The Oaks finally put a run on the board in the top of the sixth and had a chance for a big inning as Post 383 loaded the bases with no outs. Right fielder Ryan Lucchini directed a ball by third for a base hit and then shortstop Alec Strain hit a ball on the infield that was booted, sending Lucchini all the way to third. Center fielder Branden Lang hit a ball to third with the throw coming home to try to get Lucchini, but Manhart's catcher dropped the throw and Lucchini scored to make it a 5-1 game. The next batter, Wheeler, was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. But the Oaks failed to score again as third baseman Ryan Hall and first baseman Shane Rae flew out to center and right, respectively, and then second baseman Mike Nantze grounded out to short. Manhart scored another pair of runs in the sixth to make it a 7-1 game. A walk to Coyle, Jackson hitting Johnston, and a one out hit to right by left fielder Shane Blunk made it a 6-1 game. Jackson then walked Kipp to load the bases and prompted a Fair Oaks pitching change as Zane Hemphill took the mound. Hemphill got the next batter to fly out, but it was deep enough that Johnston tagged and scored to make it 7-1. A walk reloaded the bases, but then Hemphill struck out Searles to end the inning. The Oaks loaded the bases in the eighth inning with only one out, but couldn't score as Lang led off the inning with a sharply hit ball to third that deflected off the fielder's glove to short, allowing Lang to beat the throw to first. With one out, Hall got a hit to left center and then a hit to left by Rae loaded the bases. But two quick outs followed, leaving the Oaks still trailing by six runs. Hemphill took down Manhart 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth and the Oaks staged a rally in the ninth, but fell short in their effort. Left fielder Aaron Saul-Guzman led off with a double to left field. Lucchini walked to give the Oaks two base runners and then with one out, Lang sent a ground ball past a diving Manhart shortstop for a hit that scored Saul-Guzman to make it a 7-2 game. Wheeler followed with a hit to center field to score Lucchini and make it 7-3, but then Johnston got Hall to ground out back to the mound and Rae to line the ball to third to end the game and the Oaks rally.
Fair Oaks:
Pitching - Jackson, Hemphill (6) and Wheeler. Top
Hitters - Lang 2x5; Wheeler 2x4; Saul-Guzman 2B. |
