CUTTEN -- Defense and balanced hitting were the winning combo.
The Eureka Falcons played error-free ball and pulled off two relays to nail runners at third base as they prevailed over the Redding Rattlers 7-1 in a Bobby Goss tournament game on Saturday.
Eight different Falcons whacked base hits as the lineup provided balance from No. 1 through No. 9.
With the win, the Falcons went undefeated in four games in the round-robin format and will play the Red Bluff Bulls in a semifinal matchup at 1 p.m. today at Redwood Fields.
Redding, who won three of four, will face Oroville Post 95 at 10:30 a.m. in the other semifinal.
Eureka's first successful relay occurred in the bottom of the first when Michael Pena, who singled to center with one out, attempted to go to third on Garrett Barnett's single to right.
Swift-footed Falcons outfielder Chris Gutierrez cut off the ball, relayed it to second baseman David Del Grande, who threw to third baseman Mike Wilson.
Initially Pena was called safe, but after Falcons' manager Dale Del Grande protested, both umpires conferred, the call was reversed and Pena was out.
The Falcons' other relay came in the second, when Rattler Logan Dysert led off with a
”We ran ourselves out of some innings early,” said Redding manager Bob Anderson.
Eureka broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third.
With one out, Eli Adams drew a base on balls and Zach O'Hanen followed with a ground-rule double to left. After a second out, Ayers roped an opposite-field double inside the right-field line that knocked in both Tyler Plummer, pinch-running for Adams, and O'Hanen.
”We came out a little flat,” said Del Grande. “Ayers' hit opened things up for us.”
In the fourth the Falcons' generated just two hits but scored more four runs.
With one out and runners on first and second, Redding's second baseman Curtis Frisbie made a spectacular catch, diving into foul territory to snare a pop-up. On the play, however, Chris Gutierrez and Justin Hatch each tagged up and advanced a base.
But as the leather glove taketh away, it also giveth back.
Eureka's next batter, Adams, hit a seemingly routine grounder to second that was mishandled and Gutierrez scampered home. O'Hanen followed with a single that knocked in Hatch with another unearned run, and after Del Grande walked, the bases were loaded.
Ayers' fly ball to right appeared to end the inning, but the ball fell out of the player's glove and the Falcons scored two more, going up 6-0.
”We had lack of execution,” said Anderson. “They took advantage of our mistakes.”
Each team scored single runs in the seventh when the game was essentially over.
Matt Russell's RBI-single scored Gutierrez for the Falcons, while for the Rattlers, Chris Corbell's sacrifice fly brought in Dysert, who led off the inning with one of his three hits.
Josh Genevro picked up the W for Eureka, with relief help from Matt Salmon and Del Grande.
Kody Kraft pitched the complete game for Redding, giving up three earned runs.
Pitching helps Falcons beat Grizzlies
Effective pitching and a productive first inning.
The Eureka Falcons got both of these in their 6-2 win over the Del Norte Grizzlies in the Bobby Goss tournament on Saturday.
A trio of Eureka pitchers -- Zach O'Hanen, Matt Burwell and Andrew Ayers -- scattered five hits, struck out seven and issued only one walk.
”We got a good job by O'Hanen ... and Burwell ... and Ayers,” said Falcons manager Dale Del Grande.
The pitchers' jobs were made easier because their offense provided four runs of support in the first inning.
With one out, a Grizzlies' infield error, a walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases for Mike Wilson.
Wilson promptly whacked a double to left center that put things in gear, driving in David Del Grande and Andrew Ayers. Chris Gutierrez followed with a RBI-single that scored Ryan Stearns, and Jordan Davis doubled in Wilson before Del Norte doused the fire.
The Falcons added two runs in the fourth on O'Hanen's RBI-double that brought in Tyler Plummer and Del Grande's sacrifice fly to center that scored Josh Genevro.
Del Norte scored single runs in two separate innings.
With two outs in the third, Kyler Davis beat out an infield hit and Zach Hegelmeyer -- who had tripled to right past a diving Gutierrez in the first -- followed with a single to right. Hegelmeyer then stole second, while Davis took off and beat the throw home to complete a delayed double-steal.
In the fifth, three different Falcons committed errors -- and a fourth player made a mental mistake by throwing to the wrong bag -- as Del Norte scored a definitive example of an unearned run.
”I'm proud of my kids,” said Del Norte manager Eric Enos. “We just didn't hit the ball, especially with runners in scoring position.”
Logan Lesina started and took the loss for the Grizzlies, while Davis, Kevin Walsworth and Justin Yslas all appeared in relief.
The Falcons defense corrected itself, ending the game with a crisp 4-6-3 double-play.
Font Resize