The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team (1-1) secured a dramatic walk-off win against Chabot College after rallying from an 8-3 deficit on Jan. 24 at home.
After a historic 44-3 season last year, in which Santa Rosa won 22 consecutive games to start the season, the Bear Cubs dropped their season opener to Chabot on Friday, 3-1.
Chabot struck first in the third inning on a two-run home run from center fielder Cole Essick Jones. Santa Rosa responded in the fourth with a leadoff double by shortstop Brett Neidlinger, who later scored on a balk after two walks.
Right fielder Anane Wilson tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and the Bear Cubs took a 3-2 lead when an error on a pop-up allowed a runner to score from second.
Pitcher Lucas Hermes started on the mound for Santa Rosa and went four innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three.
Pitcher Elijah Hackathorn replaced Hermes in the fifth inning, but defensive miscues opened the door for Chabot. After a dropped third strike and an errant throw to first by catcher RJ Johnson, Chabot capitalized.
The next eight batters built a 7-3 lead. Hackathorn allowed five unearned runs and did not record an out before pitcher Jeffrey Rice entered to get the final out of the inning.
Chabot extended its lead to 8-3 in the sixth with an RBI single after a wild pitch moved a runner to third.
Rice hit the next batter and exited with two runners on and no outs, but pitcher Evan Sandoval struck out the side to end the threat. Sandoval followed with a perfect seventh inning and finished with four strikeouts in two innings.
“My mindset doesn’t change depending on the score,” Sandoval said. “My goal is always to hang a zero and get my guys in the dugout to hit.”
Head coach Damon Neidlinger credited Sandoval for keeping the Bear Cubs within reach.
“Evan shutting down that inning was a huge moment,” He said.”If they scored in that inning, it may have put the game out of reach.”
Santa Rosa rallied in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring three runs after hit-by-pitches to Brett and designated hitter J.T Summers and an RBI single from center fielder Cooper Wood.
Pitchers Kessler Koch and Aaron Davainis each tossed two crucial scoreless innings, combining for five strikeouts to set up a dramatic finish.
Brett opened the bottom of the ninth with a fly ball to left field that appeared to be caught but ruled a drop, placing him on third. After confusion on both sides, umpires upheld the call and ejected a Chabot assistant coach following a heated argument.
Summers struck out before Nic Sebastiani drove in Brett with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 8-7 with two outs and no runners on.
The Bear Cubs kept fighting. Right fielder Clay De Mars reached on an error, and third baseman Caze Derammelaere doubled to left to put runners on second and third. A pitch then hit pinch-hitter Aidan Sakai to load the bases.
Johnson stepped up to the plate with a chance to win it. He worked the count to two strikes and lined a pitch up the middle, narrowly slipping it past the second baseman.
Santa Rosa scored six unanswered runs and sealed a 9-8 walk-off victory on Johnson’s two-run single.
“I was thinking, drive it up the middle, win the at-bat, and hit it hard,” Johnson said.
“We made some mistakes today, we made errors,” assistant coach Tom Francois said. “However, they know how to bounce back from adversity. That’s what I love about this team. That’s a total team win.”
Santa Rosa lost its next game at West Valley College after a three-run home run lifted the Vikings to victory.
The Bear Cubs return home Saturday, Jan. 31, against the College of Marin Mariners at 2 p.m.
