Fair Oaks' Greg Kenney dives back into first base to avoid a pickoff throw by Roseville's pitcher in the eighth inning of Post 383's game at Roseville High School on Sunday. Fair Oaks won the game 10-6 to clinch second place in the American Legion's American Division and advance to today's playoffs in Woodland. Photo by John Blenkle
Fair Oaks meets Fort Sutter in playoff opener
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the July 22, 1992 edition of The Orangevale News)
    Winning four out of its last five games, the Fair Oaks American Legion team assured itself of a spot in the District 6 playoffs that begin today at 2:30 p.m. at Clark Field in Woodland.
    Post 383 will meet Fort Sutter in the opener, after finishing the regular-season in second place in the American Division with a 16-11 record. Fort Sutter, which beat Fair Oaks 6-5 back on June 18 in the two teams only meeting of the year, finished in third place in the National Division with an 11-14 mark.
American Legion - Post 383
Date Opponent Score
6-3 W. Sacramento W, 4-1
6-6 Citrus Heights W, 10-1
6-6 Citrus Heights W, 12-11
6-7 Citrus Heights W, 7-6
6-13 Charles Eggen L, 6-1
6-13 Charles Eggen W, 1-0
6-14 Charles Eggen L, 6-3
6-17 Post 61 W, 13-0
6-18 Fort Sutter L, 6-5
6-20 El Dorado L, 4-1
6-20 El Dorado W, 4-1
6-21 El Dorado L, 12-10
6-27 Haggin Grant W, 12-11
6-27 Haggin Grant W, 5-3
6-28 Haggin Grant L, 4-0
7-1 Auburn L, 7-2
7-4 Yolo L, 14-3
7-4 Yolo W, 4-1
7-8 Kennedy-Valley L, 5-4
7-11 Cordova W, 11-10
7-11 Cordova W, 5-3
7-12 Cordova L, 4-1
7-15 Southside W, 5-4
7-16 Yolo W, 18-10
7-18 Roseville L, 11-4
7-18 Roseville W, 5-4
7-19 Roseville W, 10-6
DISTRICT 6 PLAYOFFS
7-22 Fort Sutter  
OVERALL: 16-11 / LEAGUE: 16-11
    Brett Rapozo (1-3, 3.54 ERA) will take the mound for Fair Oaks today, as Post 383 tries to advance out of the first round of the playoffs. The opening round is single elimination, with the winner going on and the loser going home. In the other first round game, Citrus Heights will take on Elk Grove at 6:30.
    Should Fair Oaks make it past Fort Sutter, Post 383 will face Kennedy Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Post 383 lost to Kennedy Valley 5-4 during the regular season.
    This past week saw Fair Oaks win four of its five games, beating Southside on July 15, 5-4, winning the resumption of a protested game against Yolo on July 16, 18-10, and beating Roseville 5-4 on July 18 and 10-6 on July 19. Post 383's only loss of the week came in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, losing to Roseville 11-4.
    In Fair Oaks' game against Southside, Post 383 trailed 2-0 after the first inning of play, as two walks and a hit off Rapozo loaded the bases with no outs. The two runs then scored on consecutive ground outs on the infield. Fair Oaks got right back in the game, however, as catcher Kent Guthrie got a one out hit to left and then center fielder Leon Hamburg powered the ball over the left center field fence for a home run.
    Southside went ahead 3-2 in the top of the second, but Fair Oaks again came back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning at 3-3. Third baseman Alan Coursey led off with a ground ball deep to short. The throw was high, pulling the first baseman off the bag and allowing Coursey to reach safely. Coursey went to second on a passed ball and advanced to third on another passed ball with right fielder Tim Fuhrman at the plate. Fuhrman then flew out to right center field and Coursey tagged and scored to tie the game.
    Fair Oaks loaded the bases on three consecutive walks in the third inning, but couldn't score. In the fourth, Post 383 took a 4-3 lead as Coursey led off with a hit to right, went to second on a balk, and advanced to third on a ground ball out by left fielder Ryan Brennan. Coursey then scored on a ground ball to shortstop by Fuhrman to make it a 4-3 game.
    Southside tied it up in the top of the seventh and with Fair Oaks unable to score in the bottom of the inning, the game went into extra innings. After a leadoff walk by Clay Crossan, who relieved Rapozo in the fourth, Mike McDowell came in to record the final two outs of the inning, setting up the win for Fair Oaks in the eighth.
    With one out in the bottom of the inning, second baseman Dave Scott got a hit to left. Scott stole second with Eric Henrikson at the plate. Henrikson recorded an out, but then a hit by Rapozo to left field loaded the bases. Coursey, the next batter, also got a hit to left, driving in Scott to give Fair Oaks a 5-4 lead and the win.
    The next day, Fair Oaks picked up win No. 2 of the week, as Post 383 pounded Yolo for 20 hits in the resumption of their protested July 5 game at Bella Vista High School. The game picked up in the bottom of the fourth inning with Fair Oaks leading 6-5, Henrikson on third base and Scott on second. Coursey was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but then Trace Coquillette, playing in his first game in two weeks, lined into a double play, as Henrikson was caught off third on the sharply hit ball.
    Rapozo then doubled, however, to score Scott and Coursey and give Fair Oaks an 8-5 lead. Yolo came back with two runs in the top of the fifth to pull to within one at 8-7, but Fair Oaks added another run in the sixth to make it a 9-7 game. With two outs, Coquillette smashed a solo home run over the left field fence to increase Post 383's lead to two.
    Yolo tied the game up in the top of the seventh with two more runs, but Fair Oaks again jumped back out into the lead with a four run outburst in the bottom of the inning. Guthrie led off with a hit to left field and scored as Hamburg doubled down the left field line, making it 10-9. Henrikson followed with a walk and then Ryan Racette bunted back to the pitcher, with the throw going to third to force Hamburg. With two outs, Coquillette hit his second home run of the day over the left field fence, scoring Henrikson and Racette ahead of himself to make it a 13-9 game.
    Post 383 added five more runs in the eighth inning as Brennan led off with a walk. With Guthrie at the plate, Brennan stole second. Guthrie got a hit to left to move Brennan to third, and Brennan scored on a hit by Hamburg. Henrikson got hit by a pitch to load the bases and Racette walked to force in Guthrie from third base, making it 15-9.
    With Coursey at the plate, Hamburg scored on a passed ball, and after strike outs by both Coursey and Coquillette, Rapozo got a hit to center that scored Henrikson and Racette to make it l8-9.
    Yolo added one run in the ninth — on an error — bringing the final score to 18-10 in favor of Fair Oaks.
    Saturday and Sunday, Post 383 met Roseville in its final series of the season, splitting a doubleheader on Saturday and winning a solo game at Roseville on Sunday.
    In Saturday's first game, Fair Oaks took a 2-l lead in the bottom of the first as Guthrie walked with one out and Hamburg homered over the right field fence.
    In the second, Post 383 went up 3-1, as Coursey got on base on a dropped pop fly to second with two outs, moved to second on a hit to center by Paul Dosher, and then scored on a ball hit to the fence by Coquillette that was dropped by the center fielder.
    Fair Oaks added yet another run in the third, as Hamburg led off with a hit to left. Scott moved the runner up with a bunt and with Rapozo at the plate, a wild pitch sent Hamburg to third. Rapozo walked to put two runners on and then Greg Kenney got a hit to left to score Hamburg making it 4-1.
    Fair Oaks lost the lead in the very next inning as Roseville rallied with five runs to take a 6-4 lead. Roseville scored two more runs in the sixth and three in the eighth for the 11-4 win.
    Post 383 came back in the second game, however, for a 4-3 win. With the score tied at 3-3, Rapozo's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference in the game. Fuhrman pitched a complete game for Fair Oaks, giving up only three hits.
    Fair Oaks was already assured a playoff spot entering Sunday's final game at Roseville, but a win would lock up second place in the American Division. Post 383 was equal to the task, rolling up a 10-6 victory at Roseville High School.
    Fair Oaks jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead, as Coquillette led off with a grounder to third, beating the throw to first for a hit. With Guthrie at the plate, Coquillette was thrown out trying to steal second. Guthrie walked but was forced at second as Hamburg grounded the ball on the infield. The throw went to second, but Hamburg kept the inning alive, beating the relay to first. Scott then doubled to the fence in left to score Hamburg. Rapozo hit a towering home run to left center for a 3-0 lead, and after Kenney and Coursey each got hits, Coursey initiated a double steal, taking second as Kenney came home for a steal of the plate to make it 4-0.
    Roseville got two runs back in its half of the first, but Fair Oaks added another run in the second on a Coquillette homer to left to make it 5-2.
    Roseville took a 6-5 lead in the third but Fair Oaks came back in the fifth to score two runs to retake the lead at 7-6. Guthrie led off with a walk and scored as Hamburg powered his 12th home run of the season over the center field fence. Fair Oaks added another run in the seventh as Guthrie led off with a double to center, went to third on a ground ball to second by Hamburg, and then scored on a wild pitch with Scott at the plate.
    Post 383 scored its final two runs of the game in the eighth as Kenney beat out a bunt to third base and stole second with Coursey at the plate. With one out, Brennan walked, with Kenney taking third on a wild ball four. With two outs, Coquillette tripled to right, scoring Kenney and Brennan to make it a 10-6 game.
    LEGION NOTES: Fair Oaks has had four players, as well as coach Don Barney named to the American Legion All-Star team. Only players 18 years-of-age or graduated seniors are eligible for the All-Star squad. Barney will serve as assistant coach for the American Division team, while Post 383 pitchers Mike McDowell, Brett Rapozo and Paul Dosher will also put in appearances. Trace Coquillette will play at the shortstop position for the team. The game will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, at Clark Field in Woodland.
    Southside of the National Division had four wins taken away because of an illegal player. Post 61 picked up two of these wins, with Roseville and Cordova getting one win each.
    Assuming Fair Oaks wins its playoff opener today, the team will play National Division champ Kennedy Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. A win in that game would send Fair Oaks to the 6:30 p.m. game on Friday vs. the winner of the Charles Eggen vs. Citrus Heights game.
    A loss would put Fair Oaks into the 2:30 p.m. game vs. the loser of the same game.
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