It was another extra-inning victory for the SRJC Bear Cubs baseball team as they took game one of the CCCAA Northern California Regional Playoffs series against Diablo Valley College, 4-3 on May 5.
With a 4-2 record in extra-inning games, the Bear Cubs know exactly what needs to be done to pull out a win when the stakes are high and the game is on the line. This 10 inning game was no different.
Coming off a complete game shutout victory April 24, sophomore Bryan Webster took the mound for the Bear Cubs and kept DVC off the base paths and the board until the sixth inning when three consecutive singles loaded the bases and a hit batsman forced in a run to tie the game at one.
Despite good at-bats by the Bear Cubs, DVC’s strategy of changing pitchers every other inning kept the team too off balanced to retake the lead.
After a quick out to left field to start the eighth inning, Webster made a string of mistakes that lead to four singles and another hit by pitch. DVC took Webster for two runs before he got Joe Love to groundout to end the inning.
The hit by pitch seemed contagious as DVC pitcher Corey Elliot struck both Soisi Poti and Ryan Strouse to start the bottom of the ninth inning. A sac bunt by Nick Rodda and singles by Patrick Moniez and pinch hitter Stephen McElroy tied the game. The Bear Cubs were unable to close it out in the ninth, so the game went to extras.
Scott Morrow, who took over for Webster with one out in the ninth, pitched a clean top of the 10th inning and then left up to the offense.
Leading RBI hitter Rodda hit a ball to right field for a bloop double before moving to third on Moniez’s sac bunt. Then designated hitter Anthony Sequiera stepped to the plate and squared up a pitch from DVC pitcher Alex Palsha to center, scoring Rodda and ending a hard fought game by both teams.
The Bear Cubs roared out of the dugout as SRJC fans beamed on in delight, both happy with a lead going into the final game on Sunday.
The best of three series against DVC will continue May 6 with game two at 11 a.m. and game three to follow if necessary. Both games will be held at SRJC’s Sypher Field.
