2008 Woodie Awards
Close call for Solano's Blue Men
Ninth inning turn around for the Falcons
Vanessa-juliana Petker
Issue date: 3/21/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
| |
|
|
Although, due to the blue uniforms and game intensity like a major league team, Saturday's game could have been mistaken for one in Los Angeles. Of course, the fan attendance was not quite like Dodger stadium and the game analogy is a little stretched. It's just that the Falcons are winning and winning is fun whether it be professional or college baseball.
Saturday's (March 17)on-the-edge-of-your-seat game lead into the ninth with the score at 11-9 for the Laney College Eagles. Solano was on the threshold of ending their winning streak.
The game began with a good start for Laney as they secured one run, but Solano immediately tied the game with their first at bat.
Left-hander Ryan Shook didn't let Laney get anything in the second as he struck out all three hitters in a row with one being called by the umpire. Solano's defense stayed strong for the Eagles next at bat and they closed it in approximately four minutes.
The Falcons then livened up the third when Tommy Pavesi hit a home run with Calen Yost on first base bumping the score to 3-1.
During the fourth, Laney came back and topped the Falcons. The top of the fourth saw five runs for the Eagles including a home run by Laney's Jonathan Lewis giving them a 6-3 lead. Before the Eagles scored their fifth run Shook was replaced by Tommy Mahon. The Eagles were also able to steal second with Mahon on the mound.
Like two kids fighting over a PSP, the battle for the winning score kept going on during the bottom of the fourth starting with almost the entire batting order scoring. To start, Ruben Perez scored Todd Morris, and after Matt Esler's walk, bases were loaded seeing both C.J. Samuelsz and Perez score on Yost's double.
Pavesi scored again with a double that brought in Esler. Ryan Lipkin completed the runs for the inning with a sacrifice fly that drove in Yost.
The fifth went quickly and the sixth started with a score of 8-6 for Solano. But Laney College tied for the lead on their fifth at bat and upped it by one run due to an error in centerfield by Esler. After Sean McGinnis was brought in to relieve Mahon, Solano got the third out after two at bats.
Both Perez and Yost hit doubles in the sixth and Yost scored Perez giving the Falcons one more run, but not enough to catch up to Laney.
Laney achieved their high score of 11 during the seventh setting in panic for the Falcons for the bottom of the seventh. Efforts were made by Donaldson, Samuelsz, Kris Cole, Valera, and Contreras who took advantage of an error by Laney's shortstop to slide into second. However the inning went scoreless for Solano.
The eighth was a bit of a sleeper inning for both teams as reliever, Alex Parrot shut out the inning in six minutes including a strike out, while Solano only got to first base once with a walk.
The Eagles remained scoreless in the ninth giving leaving Solano two runs behind a tied game. Falcons found out that patience can go a long way as Laney's defense fell a part and gave Solano the chance to score and win.
After Contreras single, Erik Nyquist, who replaced Donaldson in the ninth, walked advancing Contreras to second. Drew Fisher came in to pinch run and ran to safety at second on Morris' sacrifice. Both Kris Cole and Perez reached first due to a walk and hit by pitch respectively. Bases were loaded so Contreras was forced in. With bases again loaded Solano knew that a win was on the horizon. Matt Esler hit center scoring Fisher while Calen Yost finished up the game when he was hit by a pitch, technically scoring Cole.
After an excellent display of waiting for pitches and keeping a good eye, the Falcons successfully complete their seventh victory with Alex Parrot earning the win.
Pitchers included Shook, Dallas Cole (no relation to Kris Cole), McGinnis, Mahon, and Parrot.
Esler is credited with one run and two RBIs. Top goes to Calen Yost with three runs and four RBIs. Right behind him for RBIs is Pavesi who was responsible for the home run earning Yost one of his runs. Ryan Lipkin and Perez also had RBIs.
This game was an exciting win for the Falcons to add to their streak of six wins in the Bay Valley Conference, now totaling seven wins and only one loss.
The Falcons will play at home this Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against College of Marin.
End of Article-
Be the first to comment on this story