Fair Oaks' Kevin McKeown dives back into first base ahead of the tag in last Wednesday's playoff opener against Yolo. Fair Oaks won the close game by a score of 4-3. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Post 383 ends long baseball season
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the July 27, 1994 edition of The Orangevale News)
    Post 383's 1994 American Legion baseball season came to an end this past weekend, as the Fair Oaks team was eliminated from the District 6 playoffs in Woodland.
    Fair Oaks entered the post-season as the American Division's third place team, with Citrus Heights taking the top spot and Charles Eggen coming in second. No. 3 Fair Oaks was paired against National Division runner-up Yolo in the opening round of the playoffs last Wednesday and survived a late inning Yolo rally to win the game, 4-3.
    The game looked to be a pitcher's duel early on, as Post 383's Chris Read and Yolo's Tyler Speer sent down the opposition in the first few innings.
    Fair Oaks catcher Shawn Lucchesi's double in the first inning was Post 383's only hit until the third, when Fair Oaks scored the first run of the game.
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 W, 4-3
7-21 Citrus Heights W, 8-5
7-22 Post 61 L, 9-3
7-23 Citrus Heights L, 6-1
LEAGUE: 16-11   OVERALL: 21-15
    First baseman Trevor Surratt led off the top of the third with a hit to right field and then Read bunted. Speer came off the mound to field the ball, but made a bad throw to second and both runners were safe. The next two batters struck out, but then Lucchesi came through again, getting a hit to left to score Surratt and make it a 1-0 game.
    In the bottom of the third, Yolo stayed scoreless despite back-to-back hits off Read. The first batter got a hit to right and stretched it into a double as Fair Oaks right fielder Jason Wilkerson overran the ball slightly. The next batter hit to right and Lucchesi's diving tag on the runner coming home saved a run and kept Yolo off the scoreboard. Yolo's next batter hit the ball to Brandon Muskopf at short, who stepped on second and threw to Surratt at first to complete the inning-ending double play.
    Fair Oaks came back to score again in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead over Yolo. With one out, center fielder Kevin McKeown hit a ball to second that was booted - literally - as the ball fell out of the fielder's glove and was kicked toward second base allowing him to reach first safely. With Wilkerson at the plate, a balk sent McKeown to second and then Surratt's hit up the middle scored McKeown for the 2-0 lead.
    Yolo managed to put its first run on the board in the bottom of the fourth, off two hits and a wild pitch and then the game went scoreless until the top of the seventh when Fair Oaks went up 4-1.
    With two outs, left fielder Dennis Hunt struck out, but the ball got away from the catcher and Hunt made it safely to first base. Muskopf followed with a walk and then Lucchesi sent a double to left center field to score both runners for the 4-1 lead.
    Yolo mounted a comeback in the eighth as Read struggled a little bit after a leadoff strikeout. Read walked the next two batters and then advanced the runners to second and third on a, wild pitch. With two outs, a hit to center scored both Yolo runners, making it a 4-3 game.
    Fair Oaks went down in order in the top of the ninth, leaving Yolo one more chance to take the lead. Read gave up a leadoff single to pinch hitter Eric Kowes, but then got himself out of trouble as the next batter popped a bunt back to the mound and Read threw to first to double the runner off for the double play. The next batter flew out, giving Fair Oaks the 4-3 victory and eliminating Yolo from the tournament.
    The win put Fair Oaks into Thursday's game against Citrus Heights and Post 383 responded by handing the American Division champs their first loss of the tournament.
    Justin Massoth was the unlikely pitching star for Fair Oaks in this game as he blanked Citrus Heights through the first six inmngs. Post 383 took a 2-0 lead in the third, as Hunt led off with a hit to second and slid into first to beat the throw for a hit. Muskopf followed with a hit up the middle and Lucchesi moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher. B.J. Green then hit a ball to short. The throw came home trying to get Hunt, but Hunt was able to score on the high throw, sliding under the tag. Regan Reynolds followed with another ground ball scoring Muskopf as the play went to second for the force out.
    Fair Oaks scored three more runs in the fourth as Surratt led off with a double. With one out, Massoth walked and Hunt's hit to left loaded the bases. Muskopf then got a hit down the left field line that was just knocked down by the third base­man, scoring Surratt. Lucchesi walked forcing in Massoth and then Green hit a ball to second that got away, scoring Hunt to make it 5-0.
    Citrus Heights managed its first hit of the game in the fifth after two were out, but Fair Oaks came back for two more runs in the bottom of the inning for a 7-0 lead. With one out, Hunt struck out, but reached first safely when the ball bounded away from the catc­her. Muskopf followed with a hit to left and then Lucchesi walked to load the bases. Green's fly to center scored Hunt and sent Muskopf to third. With Reynolds at the plate, Lucchesi stole second. The ball got away and Muskopf scored for the 7-0 lead.
    Citrus Heights finally broke through in the top of the seventh, scoring three times for a 7-3 game.
    Two more runs came across in the eighth on a leadoff hit and home run. Muskopf took the mound after the homer, shutting down Citrus Heights the rest of the way.
    Fair Oaks added its final run in the bottom of the inning as Lucc­hesi drew a one out walk, stole second with Green at the plate and took third on a wild pitch. Reynolds grounder to short brought Lucchesi home to make the score 8-5.
    The win sent Fair Oaks against Post 61 on Friday, with Post 383 losing to the National Division champ by a score of 9-3.
    Dropping into the loser's brack­et, Post 383 met Citrus Heights again on Saturday, losing a 6-1 decision to end their hopes for a District 6 title.
    NOTES: Post 383 sent three players to the All-Star game in Woodland on Sunday. Pitcher Chris Read, shortstop Brandon Muskopf and third base­man B.J. Green were all named to the American Division team which won a 9-2 decision over the National Division.
    Muskopf was injured in Saturd­ay's game and did not see action and Green went 0-2 in a pair of at-bats.
    Read came into the game in the third inning and pitched long enough for the American team to take the lead, earning the all-star victory.
Return to Pre-1995 Coverage