Post 383 second baseman Dave Scott collides with West Sacramento catcher Robert Capel at home plate as he tries to score in the third inning of Fair Oaks' American Legion game last week at Bella Vista High School. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Post 383 outlasts W. Sacramento 4-1 By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor (This article originally appeared in the June 10, 1992 edition of The Orangevale News)
The Fair Oaks Post 383 American Legion baseball team got off to a good start in its 1992 debut last week, defeating West Sacramento 4-1 in a game played at Bella Vista High School on June 3. Post 383, made up of players from both Bella Vista and Casa Roble Fundamental high schools, fell behind early in the game, but rallied behind its superior pitching for the win.
Things didn't look particularly good for Post 383 in the first inning, as West Sacramento third baseman Mike Reinhardt led off with a hit to left field.
The next batter, center fielder Joe Pitts, hit a grounder to shortstop. The throw went to second for the force of Reinhardt, but the relay to first was bad, allowing Pitts to reach base safely. Pitts stole second, and with one out and catcher Robert Capel at the plate, stole third, as well. Capel's hit to right field then scored Pitts to make it a 1-0 game.
In Fair Oaks half of the first, hits by first baseman Eric Brolin and second baseman Dave Scott, and a walk to right fielder Leon Hamburg were erased by a double play and a failed steal of third, leaving the score at 1-0 in favor of West Sacramento.
Fair Oaks starting pitcher Paul Dosher got out of a bases loaded jam in the second inning, but Post 383 wasn't able to put anything across in its half of the inning, despite consecutive walks to third baseman Alan Coursey and left fielder Scott Kinsey.
Post 383 tied things up in the third inning, however, with a two out rally that started with a hit up the middle by center fielder Ryan Brennan. A walk to Scott pushed Brennan over to second, and he scored as Hamburg got a hit down the left field line. Scott also scurried for home on the play, but was thrown out at the plate for the third out of the inning.
Mike McDowell came in to pitch the fourth inning for Fair Oaks, striking out the first hitter he faced before giving up a base hit to pitcher Mike Cornijo.
The next batter hit into a double play to end the inning. Post 383's go-ahead inning came in the fifth, as Brolin got a one out hit to right field to start things off. Brolin moved to second on a ground ball to West Sacramento's second baseman Tony Bracy by Brennan, with the throw going to first for the second out of the inning. Scott then walked to put runners at first and second, prompting a pitching change by West Sacramento.
The new pitcher, Eric Angle, walked the first batter he faced, Hamburg, to load the bases. Coursey then came to the plate and blistered the ball deep into center field, scoring Brolin, Scott and Hamburg ahead of his head first dive into third base for a triple.
Despite two hits in the sixth and a hit and a hit-batsman in the seventh, West Sacramento was not able to put any runs across the plate to get back into the game. Clay Crossan, who was picked by the San Francisco Giants in the recent baseball draft, came in for Fair Oaks with one out in the seventh and recorded the final two outs for the Post 383 victory.
Despite some rough spots, Fair Oaks coach Don Barney was generally pleased with Post 383's first outing. "They played well and we had some good pitching," said Barney. "I think our hitting will pick up along the way, as well. We did miss some signs though, and that took us out of a couple of innings."
Barney believes Fair Oaks' strength this year will be in its pitching, and says that all the teams in the league have improved this year. "We are very deep in pitching," said Barney. "We used three pitchers in the game and still had five other guys who didn't pitch. We're pretty deep on the hill. Everyone in the league has improved this year. Woodland and Charles Eggen should be especially tough," said Barney.
It was Woodland that knocked Post 383 out of the American Legion playoffs last season. "We've got a good group though and we'll be OK."
Fair Oaks' next action will be Saturday, June 13, as Post 383 meets Charles Eggen in a doubleheader at Jesuit High School beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday, the two teams will clash again in a single game beginning at 11 a.m. at Bella Vista High School.
