Fair Oaks left fielder Matt Borcich sends the ball into center field for a second inning double in Fair Oaks final regular season game of the year against Woodland. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Post 383 takes final game from Woodland By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor (This article originally appeared in the July 18, 1990 edition of The Orangevale News)
Led by catcher Aaron Thompson's two home runs, Fair Oaks American Legion Post 383's baseball team defeated Woodland 12-9 Sunday to close out its regular season. Thompson has hit six home runs since his birthday back on June 23.
Saturday, the teams split a doubleheader, with Fair Oaks winning the opener 10-6, and Woodland coming back to win the second game 6-2.
Fair Oaks trailed 6-3 going into the ninth inning of Saturday's game. A seven run explosion in the ninth, however, keyed the victory.
Aaron Thompson
Matt Faulkner and Brian Prehoda both hit home runs, and Thompson was 2-for-5 with a triple. Prehoda was also 2-for-5, and Carl Heaton was 2-for-2 to lead Fair Oaks' hitting attack.
In Sunday's contest, Woodland jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead over Fair Oaks. With one out, first baseman Brian Skinner got a hit to center. Skinner took second as the next batter, Nate Olmstead, hit a ground ball to shortstop and then scored on a single up the middle by left fielder Vitia Kozielski.
Kozielski took second on a passed ball and scored to make it 2-0 on a hit to right field by pitcher Jeff Morre.
Fair Oaks came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game on Thompson's first home run of the day. With two outs, right fielder Matt Faulkner got a hit to center. Thompson then came to the plate and blasted the ball over the 326-foot sign in left center. There was no doubt where the ball was headed as it left the bat.
Fair Oaks took a 3-2 lead in the second inning as center fielder Tyler Imus led off with a walk. An Eric McDowell single to left moved Imus to second and then left fielder Matt Borcich doubled to the base of the fence in center to score Imus. McDowell tried to score on the play as well, but was out at the plate.
Fair Oaks added yet another run in the third inning as Thompson powered his second home run of the day over the 384-foot sign in center field, making it 4-2.
In the fourth inning, Woodland was looking at a 5-2 deficit as Borcich doubled to right with one out, moved to third on a Brian McKeown hit to left, and scored as Brent Massoth hit a grounder to shortstop. The throw went to second for the force of McKeown, but the relay to first for what would have been an inning-ending double play was late and Borcich scored.
Woodland scored five times in the fifth inning to take a 7-5 lead over Fair Oaks. An error and two walks loaded the bases for Woodland, and then pinch hitter Anthony Farrell doubled to drive in three runs and tie the game at 5-5. Kozielski then hit to right to score Farrell to make it 6-5 and drive McKeown off the mound for Fair Oaks.
Clay Crossan, the new pitcher, got the first batter he faced to ground to shortstop. The throw came home, but Kozielski scored to make it 7-5.
A hit and a walk loaded the bases again, but Crossan got out of the inning with no further damage.
Fair Oaks tied the score at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth as Faulkner led off with a double and Thompson walked. Faulkner advanced to third on a fly ball to right by Prehoda and scored on a hit to center by Imus.
McDowell's ground-rule double to right that bounced over the outfield fence scored Thompson to tie the score.
Woodland recaptured the lead in the seventh inning as Moore led off with a walk, third baseman Eric Curtis hit to left, and second basemen Dan Shaw hit a one-out rocket to shortstop that bounced off Prehoda's leg, allowing Moore and Curtis to score.
Fair Oaks went ahead for good in the eighth as Carl Heaton doubled to left and scored on a Massoth hit up the middle. Bryan Carter then hit a ball to left that looked like a sure out, but Woodland's left fielder dropped the ball allowing Carter to reach safely and moving Massoth to second.
Massoth took third as he tagged on a fly ball to right by Faulkner and then an intentional walk to Thompson loaded the bases. Prehoda followed with a walk to force in Massoth from third, tying the game at 9-9 and keeping the bases loaded.
Imus then sent a fly ball to center and Carter tagged and scored the go ahead run. Fair Oaks scored two more as McDowell hit to right to score Thompson and Prehoda, making it a 12-9 game.
Woodland couldn't get anything going in the ninth and Fair Oaks held on to win 12-9.
Fair Oaks will now enter the American Legion playoffs that begin today at the University of California, Davis, with a scheduled 4 p.m. game.
