The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team powered through to pressure Modesto Junior College into a game three after winning 3-2 behind stellar performance from pitcher Myles Standish May 8 at Modesto.
Santa Rosa’s backs were turned against the wall after suffering a loss to Modesto on Thursday that put them in a win or go home situation.
With the season on the line, Jayden Hunt took the mound against Modesto, a team he struggled against during his last outing of the regular season.
Hunt induced two groundouts before giving up a double in the first inning. Modesto couldn’t capitalize after Hunt pitched a pop-fly to get out unscathed.
The Bear Cubs faced high pressure in the second after Hunt gave up a single and four-pitch walk giving Modesto a perfect chance. Hunt didn’t falter and induced a double play and groundout to keep the game a draw.
Despite improving Thursday’s hit count from four to eight, the Bear Cubs continued to struggle driving in runs from scoring position leaving 10 runners on base.
Assistant coach Tom Francois needs to see improvement for Saturday.
“When they get in that box, they need to command the zone and dominate it,” Francois said. “If they got a 0-2 strikeout on them, you got to take that plate away and fight pitches off.”
Santa Rosa got runners on second base with two outs in the first two innings and squandered both opportunities on fly-outs.
Standish, who recently earned Big 8 Pitcher of the Year honors, entered to pitch in game two to keep the Bear Cubs afloat, but got into trouble immediately after relieving Hunt in the third inning.
Standish gave up a leadoff double before first baseman J.T. Summers threw a costly error to third baseman Trevor Schlafer after fielding a bunt to bring in a run. Standish got through the inning with no further damage after inducing two groundouts and catcher Justice Brinson caught a runner stealing.
The Bear Cubs had one of their best chances in the fourth after two straight hits. The rally was immediately killed after a strikeout on a failed bunt and double play put the inning to an end.
Santa Rosa hit pay dirt in the fifth inning. Shortstop Caze Derammelaere and Brinson got on base, giving center fielder Cooper Wood an opportunity. Wood bunted and used his speed to force an error from the pitcher to drive in a run.
Schlafer drove in a sac fly with a runner on third and Summers drove in a run after reaching on an error to give Santa Rosa the lead 3-1.
These three runs proved effective despite the offensive struggles.
Standish stayed scoreless through the fourth and sixth after allowing one run in his first inning but faced immense pressure in the seventh. Modesto had two runners on with one out and struck out, but a high throw to third from Brinson put Modesto within one.
After another single forced runners on the corners, Standish gave up a line drive, but the ball fired right into Summer’s glove to keep the game alive for the Bear Cubs.
Standish’s reaction was the same as everyone in the crowd. “Oh my gosh,” he said. “I didn’t see it off the bat, my head was probably turned towards their dugout and J.T. jumped up and probably caught it.”
Summers’ catch was the defining play for the game. “That was phenomenal,” Standish said. “That literally won us the game.”
Standish put the game to a close and struck out four batters in the last two innings, giving the ace a final statline of eight strikeouts, with seven hits and two runs, for seven innings on 114 pitches.
Francois only had praise for Standish and Hunt.
“Money, Cash, Gibraltar rock solid,” Francois said. “He threw 114 pitches, but that guy’s got so much intestinal fortitude. Nobody’s gonna beat him on the mound, but in all fairness, Jayden Hunt did a heck of a job too, you know?”
Standish had only one goal, and that was to win.
“You have to have an absolutely insane mentality,” Standish said. “You don’t want to lose, there’s nothing in your mind saying you’re gonna lose this game, it’s always win-win-win, no matter what. I hate losing honestly, simple as that.”
The Bear Cubs face Modesto for game three of the NorCal Super Regional at noon on May 9.
The winner will advance to face the winner of the series between Ohlone and Folsom Lake in the Regional Finals from May 15-17.
