Fair Oaks pitcher Chris Read sends a pitch toward a Charles Eggen batter during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Jesuit High School. Photo by Joe Blenkle

Fair Oaks begins playoff quest today
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the July 20, 1994 edition of The Orangevale News)

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    Third place isn't ordinarily where you'd want your team to end up, but Coach Don Barney isn't entirely displeased with Fair Oaks Post 383's third place finish this past weekend in the Ameri­can Legion's American Division baseball race.
    The top three spots literally came down to the final weekend of action, with Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights and Charles Eggen still in the running for first. Citrus Heights' doubleheader sweep of Haggin-Grant, however, wrapped up the title for them, as Charles Eggen and Fair Oaks split their head-to-head games on Saturday. That left only second place to be decided and whoever won Sunday's season finale at Bella Vista would grab that spot. Charles Eggen did and Fair Oaks landed in third place.

FAIR OAKS 1994 RESULTS
Date	Opponent	Score
Memorial Day Tournament
5-28	Kennedy-Valley	W, 6-5
5-29	Fort Sutter	L, 11-5
5-29	Atwater	L, 4-3
5-30	Winters	W, 9-8
District 6 League Games
6-4	Citrus Heights	L, 12-6
6-4	Citrus Heights	W, 1-0
6-5	Citrus Heights	W, 8-2
6-7	Yolo	L, 3-1
6-11	Auburn	W, 11-5
6-11	Auburn	W, 10-4
6-12	Auburn	W, 12-4
6-15	Post 61	L, 7-3
6-16	FlorinAuburn	W, 6-5
6-18	Fort Sutter	W, 18-7
6-18	Fort Sutter	L, 7-3
6-19	Fort Sutter	W, 9-2
6-22	Southside	L, 6-5
6-25	Haggin Grant	L, 12-9
6-25	Haggin Grant	W, 10-6
6-26	Haggin Grant	W, 14-7
6-29	Kennedy-Valley	W, 5-1
7-2	Cordova	W, 11-4
7-2	Cordova	L, 5-3
7-3	Cordova	W, 12-6
7-7	Roseville	L, 5-4
7-9	El Dorado	W, 4-3
7-9	El Dorado	W, 5-0
7-10	El Dorado	L, 11-9
7-13	Winters	W, 15-7
7-16	Charles Eggen	L, 14-12
7-16	Charles Eggen	W, 8-5
7-17	Charles Eggen	L, 8-5
DIST. 6 PLAYOFFS
7-20	Yolo
LEAGUE: 16-11   OVERALL: 19-13

    Placing third will pit Fair Oaks (16-11) against Yolo (20-4), the second place National Division team in a single-elimination playoff at 6:30 p.m. today at Clark Field in Woodland. Barney would rather face Yolo in the opener when Post 383's pitchers are fresh, than possibly facing them later in the tourna­ment. Two of Fair Oaks' top pitchers - Andy Tews and Sam Moses are questionable for post-season play, leaving Chris Read and Jason Chaney to pick up the bulk of the work. Placing third also kept Post 383 out of the same bracket as Na­tional Division winner Post 61 (23-2), but Barney said Yolo worries him more than Post 61 does.
    This past weekend saw Fair Oaks lose their only series of the season as Charles Eggen took two of three games from Post 383. But Fair Oaks could have just as easily won those games, drop­ping the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, 14-12, and losing Sunday, 8-5.
    In Saturday's opener, Eggen took batting practice early, as Fair Oaks pitching gave up 19 hits in the loss. Eggen led 2-0 after one inning off starter Read and was up 6-0 by the end of two. Trevor Surratt took the mound in the third and gave up runs in each of the next three innings as Eggen built a 10-0 lead. Fair Oaks finally got on the board in the top of the sixth with two runs as Brandon Muskopf was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and scored on Shawn Lucchesi's hit down the right field line. Lucchesi made it all the way to third on the throw home and scored on B.J. Green's sacrifice to center field to make it a 10-2 game.
    Eggen went up 14-2 in the bottom of the seventh, but Fair Oaks stormed back in the next two innings to make a game of it. In the eighth, Kevin McKeown led off with a hit to deep short, beating the throw to first. Dennis Hunt followed with a hit up the middle and then with one out, Surratt's hit to right rolled by the right fielder, scoring both McKeown and Hunt. Mark Scott and Steve Santich drew back-to-back walks and then Greg Efstratis' hit to center scored Scott to make it 14-5. Eggen changed pitchers, but a hit to third by Moses was booted, allowing Santich to score and make it 14-6.
    Eggen loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but did not score, setting up one last comeback attempt by Fair Oaks.
    In the top of the ninth, Hunt was hit by a pitch, Justin Massoth walked and Surratt got a hit to left to load the bases. Scott took a 2-0 count before Eggen sent their third pitcher of the day to the mound, but he worked the new hurler for a walk, forcing in Hunt with a run. Santich grounded out to score Massoth and then Efstratis' hit to right scored Surratt making it 14-9. Regan Reynolds followed with a hit to score Scott and with two out, McKeown's hit to right cen­ter scored Efstratis and Reynolds, making it 14-12.
    That was as close as Fair Oaks would get, however, as the next batter struck out to end the game.
    Fair Oaks came back to win the second game 8-5, as Chaney scattered nine hits en route to a complete-game victory.
    Fair Oaks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first before Eggen closed to 3-2, but Post 383 led the entire contest for the win.
    Sunday's season-finale appeared to be headed toward another Fair Oaks victory, but Eggen turned the tables to escape with the 8-5 win. Fair Oaks jumped out to a 3-0 first inning advantage as Hunt led off with a double. With one out, Green got a hit to left to score Hunt, moving to second on the throw home. With two outs, McKeown pow­ered a home run over the left field fence for the 3-0 lead.
    Fair Oaks made it a 5-0 game in the second as Scott led off with a hit to right. Eric Hobbs was hit by a pitch, but on the next play, Moses bunt­ed to third where Scott was forced for the first out of the inning. Hunt walked to load the bases, however, and with Lucchesi at the plate, a wild pitch scored Hobbs. Lucchesi followed with a sacri­fice to center, scoring Moses for a 5-0 lead.
    Eggen was held scoreless until the fifth when they tied the game at 5-5. A single run followed in the seventh and Eggen added two more in the ninth for the 8-5 win.
    Fair Oaks and Charles Eggen finished the season with identical 16-11 records, but because Eggen won their head-to-head meeting, Eggen took the second place seed for the playoffs. The post-season begins today in Woodland with Eggen facing Southside at Clark Field at 2:30 p.m. and Fair Oaks playing Yolo at 6:30 p.m.
    The winner of the Eggen-Southside game will play National Division winner Post 61 on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The Fair Oaks-Yolo winner will face Citrus Heights in the 2:30 p.m. contest.
    The first-round of the playoffs is single-elimination, with second-round play turning to a double-elimination format.

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