Fair Oaks Post 383 third baseman B.J. Green tries to tag out a Citrus Heights runner as he takes third base on a wild pitch during the sixth inning of Post 383's game at Rio Linda High School on Sunday. Fair Oaks lost the game 6-1. Photo by John Blenkle
Shorthanded Post 383 starts AL season
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the June 2, 1993 edition of The Orangevale News)
    The Fair Oaks Post 383 American Legion baseball team got off to a respectable start for the 1993 season Saturday, winning its first two games of the Haggin Grant Memorial Day Tournament.
    Seriously shorthanded due to Casa Roble Fundamental High School's continued involvement in the Sac-Joaquin Section baseball playoffs - Post 383 expects an additional 11 players to join its ranks after Saturday's playoff finale - Fair Oaks still made an impressive showing in its first two games with an 8-5 win over Charles Eggen and a 7-1 victory over Walnut Creek.
    Post 383's Dave Moore turned in a superb pitching performance, carrying an 8-2 lead into the seventh inning before losing control. Moore hit three straight Charles Eggen batters to load the bases before getting a force out at third for the second out of the inning. A run scored on the play, making it 8-3. Moore hit his fourth batter of the inning to reload the bases and then a hit to left scored two more to make it an 8-5 game. Chris Read came in to get the final out of the game on a strike out.
    Fair Oaks opened the game with a four run outburst in the first, after Moore sent Charles Eggen down in order in the top of the inning striking out the first two batters he faced.
    Center fielder Ryan Brennan led off with a hit to right, followed by a bunt by Brandon Muskopf that was fielded by the catcher and thrown high to first. B.J. Green's hit to center scored Brennan and Muskopf scored as Gregg Kenney followed with a hit to left.
    Catcher Shawn Lucchesi drew a walk and then T.J. Chopelas' fly to right allowed Green to tag and score from third to make it 3-0. Alan Coursey's groundout to shortstop scored Kenney to make it a 4-0 game.
    Charles Eggen came back with two runs in the top of the second, the first of which scored on a ground ball to third that was a good two feet outside the line, but was called fair. A walk and a hit brought home the next run, making it a 4-2 game.
    Fair Oaks scored another four runs in the fourth as Coursey led off with a walk. Justin Massoth then got a hit to left and both runners advanced on an errant pickoff with Moore at the plate. Moore grounded to third, but the throw to first was low and got away, scoring Coursey.
    Brennan then got a hit to left to score Massoth and Muskopf followed with another hit to left scoring Moore. Green walked to load the bases and then Brennan scored as Kenney hit into a double play, making it 8-2.
    In Saturday's second game, Fair Oaks easily handled Walnut Creek as Mike McDowell pitched a complete-game 7-1 win. Lucchesi had three hits for Post 383, with Kenney and Brennan each adding two, including a home run by Brennan.
    Fair Oakss bubble burst in Sunday's game against Citrus Heights, as Post 383 lost by a score of 6-1.
    Citrus Heights pitcher Lincoln Orehana had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning, when Muskopf lined a shot over the left field fence for a home run to make it a 6-1 game. Citrus Heights scored five runs in the third and a single run in the sixth for the final 6-1 margin.
    Monday, Fair Oaks was scheduled to play its fourth and final game of the tournament against Lafayette. The battle for third place was rained out, however, as were the rest of the tournament games, leaving Fair Oaks with a 2-1 preseason record.
    "I guess we got third-and-a-half place," said coach Don Barney. "We really didn't do that bad considering the number of players we had. I was surprised."
    The regular season was scheduled to open today, but because of Post 383's player situation, games have been pushed back until Sunday. Saturday's scheduled double-header against Haggin Grant at Rio Linda High will be played on Sunday beginning at 10:30 a.m. Sunday's single 11 a.m. game at Bella Vista vs. Haggin Grant will be played at 5 p.m. on Monday. Today's scheduled game at Bella Vista against Yolo has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 6.
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