Fair Oaks pitcher Sam Moses delievers the ball toward home plate in Post 383's game against Fort Sutter on Sunday at William Land Park. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Post 383 picks up series win
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the June 22, 1994 edition of The Orangevale News)
    Despite a rocky start to the week, Fair Oaks Post 383's American Legion baseball team managed to turn things around for their weekend series with Fort Sutter, winning two of three games to keep pace in the Legion's American Division.
    Post 383 played National Division leader Post 61 last Wednesday, falling to the Sacramento team 7-3. Post 61 finished out the week holding a one game advantage over Yolo with an 11-1 record.
    Thursday, Fair Oaks played a non-league game against Florin, slipping in a win by a score of 6-5. The big blow for Fair Oaks came in the third inning when Steve Santich hit a grand slam home run to give Post 383 a 5-0 lead. Sam Moses, Fair Oaks' fourth pitcher of the day, came in to strike out the side in the seventh for the save.
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
LEAGUE: 7-4   OVERALL: 10-6
    Post 383 got back to league play on Saturday, hosting Fort Sutter in a doubleheader at Bella Vista High School. Pounding out 17 hits, Fair Oaks bombed Fort Sutter 18-7 in the opener, before dropping the second game 7-3.
    In the first game, Fort Sutter touched starter Andy Tews for a lone run in the top of the inning after loading the bases after two were out. Fair Oaks evened things up in the bottom of the first as Steve Santich led off with a ground ball to third. The throw to first was low, allowing Santich to get aboard. Catcher Shawn Lucchesi followed with another grounder hit toward third. The ball was knocked down, but no play was made to either first or second. Brandon Muskopf then hit into a double play, sending Santich to third. Tews' hit to left scored Santich to even things up, 1-1.
    Fort Sutter went back up 2-1 in the second and took a 3-1 lead in the third. Fair Oaks exploded for seven runs in the third, however, to take an 8-3 advantage.
    Trevor Surratt led off with a hit up the middle and went to second on Santich's hit to center. Lucchesi followed with a long single to left that hit off the fence to score Surratt, with both Santich and Lucchesi advancing and extra base on the throw in. Muskopf was then hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Tews hit a ball to center that backed the center fielder up almost to the fence. The ball tipped off his glove and Santich and Lucchesi both scored to make it 4-3.
    With one out, Regan Reynolds scored Muskopf with a hit up the niddle. Jason Wilkerson got a hit to left to score Tews and then Justin Massoth's double to right scored Reynolds and Wilkerson to make it an 8-3 game. Surratt walked, driving Fort Sutler's starter out of the game. Brian Gorath relieved, striking out Santich before walking Lucchesi to reload the bases. Muskopf then flew out to end the inning.
    Sutter got a run back in the fourth and two more in the sixth to make it 8-6, and then closed it to 8-7 with a run in the top of the eighth.
    Post 383 apparently decided enough was enough and came back to score 10 runs in the bottom of the inning to all but put the game away. Massoth led off with a grounder to short. The high throw to first allowed him to reach safely. Surratt then bounced one over the third baseman for a hit and with one out, Lucchesi walked to load the bases. Muskopf walked to force in Massoth and then Tews' hit to left scored Surratt and Lucchesi to make it 11-7. Fort Sutter brought in their third pitcher of the day, but he promptly walked the bases full with a free pass to Jason "Chainsaw" Chaney who had come in to pitch in the top of the inning. Reynolds got a hit to left to score Muskopf and then Kevin McKeown walked to force in Tews to make it 13-7. With two out, Surratt doubled to left center to score Chaney and Reynolds. A walk to Santich reloaded the bases and brought in Fort Sutter's fourth pitcher of the day - and second in the inning. The new pitcher walked Mark Scott to force in McKeown and then Muskopf - the 14th batter of the inning - got a hit to left to score Surratt and Santich and make it 18-7. Eric Hobbs struck out to end the inning.
    Chainsaw put the side out in order in the top of the ninth for the big Fair Oaks win.
    Sutter came back in the second game with five runs in the final two innings for a 7-3 win. Fair Oaks scored all three of its runs in the first and was blanked the rest of the way.
    Sunday, Fair Oaks traveled to William Land Park for the final game of the series and won 9-2 behind the strong pitching of Moses and Chaney. Fair Oaks went up 2-0 in the first, as Dennis Hunt and Lucchesi drew back-to-back walks. A wild pitch advanced both runners and then Muskopf's fly to left let Hunt tag and score the first run. A wild pitch with Surratt at the plate sent Lucchesi to third. Surratt reached base on an error and then with two outs, a low throw to first off a ground ball by Wilkerson let Lucchesi score to make it 2-0.
    Despite giving up a one out triple in the bottom of the inning, Moses escaped unscathed in the first and Fair Oaks came back in the third for two more runs and a 4-0 lead. With one out, back-to-back walks to Muskopf and Surratt put two on. Muskopf stole second with Surratt at the plate and took third on a passed ball. With Massoth at the plate, Surratt stole second and with two out, Wilkerson's hit to left scored both runners for the 4-0 lead.
    Fair Oaks went up 6-0 in the fourth as Hobbs led off with a hit to left. Moses bunted Hobbs to second and then Hunt drew a walk to put two runners on. Hobbs scored on a hit to center by Lucchesi and then Muskopf walked to load the bases. Surratt hit a ball to short, with the throw going to third for the force, but Hunt scored on the play to make it 6-0. Fair Oaks upped the lead to 7-0 in the fifth as Scott got a one out walk, followed by a hit to right by Hobbs. A wild pitch advanced both runners, but Tews - pinch-hitting - drew another walk to toad the bases. Fort Sutter sent in a new pitch­er, but Hunt singled to left off him to score Scott from third.
    "Chainsaw" Chaney came in to pitch in the fifth, giving up a hit, but facing only three batters due to a double play. Fair Oaks scored run No. 9 in the sixth as Muskopf bit a bad hop single to third and went to third on Surratt's hit to right. Surratt was called out trying to steal second on an interference call at the plate with Massoth at bat, who also struck out on the play. But then Wilkerson dropped a hit down the right field line to score Muskopf, making it 8-0.
    Chaney again only faced three batters in the sixth, but then Fort Sutter was able to string together several hits in the seventh to make it an 8-2 game. Fair Oaks came back in the eighth for a run as Lucchesi walked, went to second on a passed bail and moved to third on Surratt's hit up the middle. Lucchesi scored on a ground ball by Massoth to make it 9-2.
Elliot Henrikson
    Chaney again faced only three batters in the bottom of the inning and shut down Fort Sutter in the ninth, despite a hit and a walk, to preserve the victory.
    Fair Oaks battles Southside at Land Park No. 1 tonight at 5 p.m. and then hosts Heggin-Grant in a 10:30 a.m. in doubleheader on Sat­urday at Bella Vista. The week's action concludes on Sunday with a single game against Haggin at Rio Linda High School at 11 a.m.
    LEGION NOTES: Sometimes he works just as hard as the players, but he is always overlooked in the box scores. Eleven-year-old Elliot Henrikson (brother Eric plays for Fair Oaks) is Post 383's batboy and scrambles around picking up bats, collecting helmets and returning balls to the umpire. Henrikson is in his third year of on-and-off duty - always at the home games - sometimes at the away ones. But the youngster seems to enjoy his job and fulfills it with the eagerness of youth.
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