Fair Oaks pitcher Jason "Chainsaw" Chaney sends a pitch toward home plate in Post 383's game on Sunday at Bella Vista High. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Post 383 takes series from Cordova
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the July 6, 1994 edition of The Orangevale News)
    The Fair Oaks Post 383 American Legion baseball team won its series over the weekend from Cordova, but was unable to gain any ground on league-leading El Dorado and saw Charles Eggen jump into second place in the American Division standings.
    Post 383 is now tied with Citrus Heights for third with a 12-7 record. Fair Oaks, 15-9 overall, has won every series it has played from its division opponents this season, but the next two weekends could be a deciding factor in Post 383's playoff fate as the team faces El Dorado this weekend and then Charles Eggen the following weekend to close out the regular-season.
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
LEAGUE: 12-7   OVERALL: 15-9
    El Dorado does not compete in the District 6 playoffs, so Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, and Charles Eggen will be trying to position themselves as the three American Division teams that will advance to post-season play. All three teams are within two games of El Dorado for the league-lead and only half a game separates the trio in the standings. Excluding El Dorado, the top team will receive a first-round playoff bye, while the second and third place American Division teams will battle the third and second place (respectively) National Division teams in a single-elimination opener on Wednesday, July 20. After the opening-round, the playoffs will be double-elimination format.
    Fair Oaks took its midweek game last week, 5-1, from Kennedy-Valley, before winning two of three over the weekend from Cordova. On Saturday, Post 383 traveled to Peterson Field for a doubleheader, winning the first game, but dropping the second contest.
    Post 383 wasted little time putting runs on the scoreboard, jumping out to a 2-0 first inning lead. With one out, center fielder Kevin McKeown drew a walk and then advanced to third on a double to right field by B.J. Green. Pitcher Andy Tews' groundout scored McKeown and the right fielder Brandon Muskopf's hit to left scored Green for the 2-0 lead.
    Cordova managed to get one run back in the bottom of the inning, but Fair Oaks came back to score another pair in the top of the second for a 4-1 lead.
    First baseman Trevor Surratt led off with a bad hop single to shortstop and second baseman Regan Reynolds followed with a similar shot that was knocked down with no throw made. Left fielder Eric Hobbs walked to load the bases and then shortstop Dennis Hunt hit a grounder to second. The throw went to the shortstop covering the bag for the force out, but Surratt scored to make it 3-1. With Muskopf at the plate, a wild pickoff throw allowed Reynolds to score to make it a 4-1 game. Muskopf got a hit, but two outs followed to end the inning.
    Cordova managed a lone run in the bottom of the inning and Fair Oaks answered back with another run in the top of the third. Muskopf hit a ball to short that was booted on a difficult play allowing him to reach safely. Muskopf was later thrown out trying to steal, but Jason Wilkerson followed with a double to left field to put another runner on in scoring position. Reynolds got a hit to left to score Wilkerson, making it a 5-2 Fair Oaks lead. Post 383 added another run in the fourth as Hunt led off with a double to left. Hunt moved to third on a grounder to short by McKeown and then scored on Green's double to right field to make it 6-2.
    Tews struck out the side in Cordova's fourth, and Fair Oaks came back with three more runs in the top of the fifth off new Cordova pitcher Jamar Reed.
    Surratt led off with a walk, followed by a hit to left by Reynolds. Hobbs bunted, resulting in a high throw to first that allowed both Surratt and Reynolds to score. McKeown's hit up the middle brought in the other Fair Oaks run as Hobbs came in for a 9-2 advantage.
    Cordova got back two runs in the sixth, but Fair Oaks added its final two in the eighth for the 11-4 final score. With one out, Muskopf got an infield hit to short. Wilkerson followed with a fly to center that was dropped and then with two outs, Reynolds got a hit up the middle to score both runners to make it an 11-4 game. Fair Oaks pounded Cordova for 15 hits in the win. Tews allowed six hits in the complete-game victory.
    Cordova came back in the second game, however, to beat Post 383, 5-3. Fair Oaks led briefly, 3-2 in the fourth inning, but a pair of runs in the fifth and a single in the sixth gave Cordova the win. Chris Read pitched a complete game for Post 383, but got little help from the offense as Cordova scattered six hits in the victory.
    Sunday, however, Fair Oaks took the bumper game of the series, beating Cordova 12-6 at Bella Vista High School. Cordova took a 1-0 lead in the first, but Fair Oaks tied things up in the bottom of the inning as Muskopf got a one out hit to start things off. A wild pitch with Green at the plate sent Muskopf to second and then with two out, catcher Shawn Lucchesi's hit to right scored Muskopf to tie the game.
    Fair Oaks went up 2-1 in the second as Wilkerson and Mark Scott drew back-to-back walks with one out. Pitcher Sam Moses then hit a ball to second for a force of Scott, but the next batter, McKeown, got a hit to left to score Wilkerson, making it 2-1.
    Cordova tried to put the game away in the fourth, scoring five times for a 6-2 lead. Moses started the inning by hitting the first batter he faced, walked the next two, and gave up a hit to score a run and make it a 2-2 game. Fair Oaks coach Don Barney removed Moses in favor of Jason "Chainsaw" Chaney, but Chaney gave up a walk and two hits before getting a pop to second for the second out. Cordova left the inning holding a 6-2 lead, but Fair Oaks came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
    Scott led off with a double to center and then Efstratis popped a fly into right center that dropped in for a double, sending Scott to third. McKeown then hit a ball to shortstop that was booted, with Scott and Efstratis scoring to make it 6-4. A new pitcher came to the mound for Cordova, but after getting one out, Green got a hit to left and Lucchesi followed with an infield hit that scored McKeown to make it 6-5. Green scored as a ground ball by Hunt to third was bobbled, preventing the double play, and the score stood at 6-6.
    Chaney sent Cordova down in order in the top of the fifth, and Fair Oaks went up 7-6 in the bottom of the inning. Chaney led off with a hit to right, followed by a Scott double down the line in left. The throw to second got away, allowing Chaney to score the run.
    Despite an error and double in the top of the sixth, Chaney struck out the final two batters to end Cordova's chance to tie. Post 383 added another run in the bottom of the inning as Green led off with a walk. With one out, Hunt sent a ball into center that dropped in as the center fielder misjudged the catch. Steve Santich then walked to load the bases and Chaney's fly to center allowed Green to tag and score to make it an 8-6 game. Yet another Cordova pitcher entered the game in the seventh, but was tagged for two more runs for a 10-6 lead. Efstratis led off with a walk and with one out, Muskopf got a hit to left. With two out, Lucchesi got a hit to right to score Efstratis and Hunt followed with a hit to right on a tough chance fly that glanced off the fielder's glove. Muskopf scored on the play for a 10-6 Fair Oaks lead.
    Fair Oaks added two more runs in the eighth for the final tally of 12-6. With one out Efstratis walked. Efstratis stole second with McKeown at the plate and then scored on McKeown's double to left center. With Muskopf at the plate, a passed ball sent McKeown to third and Muskopf walked, prompting another Cordova pitching change. Muskopf was out stealing second with Green at the plate, who then got hit by a pitch and was awarded first. With Lucchesi at the plate, McKeown scored on a wild pitch. Lucchesi then got a hit up the middle, but Green was tagged out at home trying to score to end the inning.
    Chaney got the side out in order in the top of the ninth, giving Fair Oaks the victory. Lucchesi led Post 383, going 5-for-6 at the plate, with a double and three RBI.
    Fair Oaks visits Roseville today at 5 p.m. for a single game and then meets El Dorado on Saturday in a 9 a.m. doubleheader start at El Dorado High School. Sunday, the two teams meet in a single game at Bella Vista High beginning at 11 a.m.
    LEGION NOTES: What was first ruled a forfeit has now been declared no contest, as the June 26 Yolo-Roseville game will not go as a win for Roseville. Yolo's team was in Hawaii for a tournament and Roseville was unwilling to reschedule the game at a later date. A final ruling, however, dictates that the game will be played on July 18 should it have a bearing on the standings. The same goes for a June 29 tie between El Dorado and Southside.
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