Fair Oaks hurler Sam Moses delivers a pitch toward home plate in Post 383's game against Citrus Heights on Sunday. Photo by Joe Blenkle
Post 383 wins pair over Citrus Heights
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the June 8, 1994 edition of The Orangevale News)
    Fair Oaks Post 383's American Legion baseball team opened its regular season over the weekend, winning two out of three games against Citrus Heights.
    Post 383 began play on Saturday with a doubleheader at Bella Vista High School. With some of its players missing for the first game due to SAT tests scheduled for that morning, Post 383 lost the opening game by a score of 12-6.
    Starting pitcher Andy Tews was touched for a total of three hits and a walk - including back-to-back doubles - in the first inning as Citrus Heights went up 2-0.
    Fair Oaks came back in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 2-2 as left fielder Eric Henrikson led off with a hit to center field. Catcher Shawn Lucchesi followed with a single toi left and then right fielder Kevin McKeown moved both runners over with a well-placed bunt to third base.
    Center fielder Dennis Hunt followed with a hit to center to score Henrikson and then Tews' grounder to third and resulting bad throw to first, allowed Lucchesi to score, making in 2-2.
FAIR OAKS 1994 SCHEDULE
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
LEAGUE: 2-1   OVERALL: 4-3
    The game settled down into a pitcher's duel over the next few innings, with Citrus Heights managing to get one run home in the fourth off one hit, a steal and two ground ball outs.
    Fair Oaks looked as if it was going to break the game open in the bottom of the fifth, as Post 383 scored four runs to take a 6-3 lead. Second baseman Regan Reynolds led off with a walk and with shortstop Brent Muskopf at the plate stole second. Muskopf then doubled to right, but Reynolds, who had held up to see if the ball was going to be caught, could only advance to third on the play. First baseman Greg Efstratis then grounded to third. The throw went to second to get Muskopf, but Reynolds scored and Efstratis beat the double play try at first.
    Third baseman B.J. Green and Henrikson followed with singles to load the bases and thenLucchesi punched the ball past first and into right field to score Efstratis and make it a 4-3 game. McKeown grounded to third, with the throw going to second to get Lucchesi, but Green scored, making it 5-3. Hunt's hit to right scored Henrikson to bring the score to 6-3 and also drove Citrus Heights' pitcher from the game. The new hurler got the final out to end the inning.
    Citrus Heights came back with seven runs in the top of the sixth to retake the lead at 10-6. Justin Massoth entered the game in relief with one out and Citrus Heights leading 8-6. A hit and a flyball brought home the next two runs before the inning finally ended. Citrus Heights added its final two runs in the top of the seventh for the final tally of 12-6.
    Fair Oaks got runners on in every inning the rest of the way, but couldn't bring them home. Efstratis led off the ninth with a hit and Green was hit by a pitch to put two on with no outs, but three straight outs - including two strike outs - ended the Post 383 threat.
    Fair Oaks came back to win the second game on a 1-0, three-hit performance by Chris Read. Post 383's only run scored in the first inning off an error. With Green at first, Efstratis at second and Muskopf at third, an attempted pickoff by the catcher to first base went wide and Muskopf scored for Fair Oaks' only run.
    Post 383 rebounded on Sunday with an 8-2 win over Citrus Heights at San Juan High School. Fair Oaks got off to a good start in the game, giving pitcher Sam Moses a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, Muskopf singled to center and with Efstratis at the plate advanced to second and to third on wild pitches. Efstratis then doubled to left to score Muskopf for a 1-0 lead. With Green at the plate, a wild pitch sent Efstratis to third, and then Green smashed a ball toward short, where it was barely knocked down with no play possible and Efstratis came home to score.
    Citrus Heights worked Moses for two runs in the bottom of the inning, including a solo home run with one out. The next few innings were relatively quiet, but Fair Oaks came back in the fourth with two more runs for a 4-2 lead.
    With one out, Lucchesi hit a ball to short that was booted, allowing him safe passage to first. The next batter struck out, but then consecutive walks to Steve Santich and Eric Hobbs loaded the bases. Moses aided his own cause with a hit to left, scoring Lucchesi and Santich for the 4-2 lead.
    Fair Oaks got another run in the fifth as Muskopf led off the inning with a walk. With Efstratis at the plate, he stole second and then scored on Green's double to right center field. Lucchesi also got on base on a wind-driven pop to short left that dropped in and McKeown reached on a dropped fly to right center to load the bases. Two consecutive strike outs ended the inning, however, with no other runners being able to score.
    In the bottom of the fifth, McKeown took a home run away from Citrus Heights with a leaping catch at the right field fence ending Citrus Heights' chances for an easy run. The offense on both sides died down until the eighth when a new hurler took the mound for Citrus Heights.
    After Hunt struck out to lead off the inning, walks to Tews and Reynolds put runners on. With Reynolds at the plate, a wild pitch and passed ball advanced Tews all the way to third base. Muskopf, the next batter had to face yet another Citrus Heights pitcher, as the current hurler left the mound due to injury. Muskopf was intentionally walked by the new pitcher, loading the bases. Efstratis struck out, but then Green got a hit by the second baseman, scoring both Tews and Reynolds for a 7-2 lead.
    Jason Cheaney came in to pitch the eighth inning for Fair Oaks, putting Citrus Heights down in order. Post 383 added its eighth and final run of the day in the top of the ninth on a one out home run by Santich which easily cleared the left field fence.
    The win gave Post 383 a victory in its opening series of the season and a 2-1 American Division record, good for third place behind El Dorado and Haggin Grant, both of which have 3-1 records.
    Post 383 was scheduled to play Yolo at Clark Field in Woodland last night and will travel to Auburn for a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at James Field. Sunday, the two teams return to Bella Vista High School for a scheduled 11 a.m. start at Jim Enos Field.
    Coming into this week, Yolo was tied for the National Division lead with Post 61 with a 4-0 record. Auburn was in last place in the American Division, coming in at 1-3.
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