The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team improved to 7-3 after a 2-1 walk-off win over Chabot College on Friday, Feb. 13, securing its fourth straight victory on a 10th-inning bases-loaded walk drawn by third baseman Caze Derammelaere.
Despite the win, the Bear Cubs’ offense continued searching for consistency. Santa Rosa has averaged just three runs over its last four games and was outhit 10-7 on Friday.
Assistant coach Tom Francois said the late-game heroics are encouraging, but not sustainable long term.
“The offense has been a little slack and not sustainable,” Francois said. “We have to do better. I know it’s still early, but we have to get momentum going.”
Starting pitcher Myles Standish anchored the effort, throwing 5 ⅔ scoreless innings with four strikeouts while allowing five hits. Chabot worked his pitch count up to 100 before Cody Collins entered in relief.
“It was hard. I was trying to find the umpire’s zone,” Standish said. “I don’t think I was missing by a whole bunch.”
Even with the high pitch count, Standish lowered his team-leading ERA to 0.41 through 22 innings of work.
“That’s my job — minimize runs as much as possible,” Standish said. “Compete as much as we can and provide as much opportunity for the offense to score.”
Santa Rosa broke through in the fourth inning when shortstop Brett Neidlinger singled to right field for the team’s first hit. Derammelaere followed with an RBI double to give the Bear Cubs a 1-0 lead.
In the fifth inning, second baseman Trevor Schlafer made a standout play to prevent two runs from scoring, fielding a sharply hit ball and throwing out a runner from his knees to end the threat.
“Trevor Schlafer, man, that’s gotta be a top-10 play of the year,” Standish said. “He came in clutch. The defense has been absolutely phenomenal for me.”
Francois credited Schlafer’s composure.
“The ball hit hard to him, but he didn’t get rattled,” Francois said. “He throws the guy out on his knees and we get out. Defense wins ball games.”
Collins kept Chabot off the board until the ninth inning, when a sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1 and forced extra innings. He remained on the mound for the 10th, finishing with 4 ⅓ innings pitched, one strikeout, five hits allowed and one earned run.
Santa Rosa answered immediately in the bottom half.
First baseman J.T. Summers led off with a single. Designated hitter Aidan Sakai followed with a bunt that forced an errant throw to first, putting two runners aboard. Chabot intentionally walked Neidlinger to load the bases and set up a force at any base.
Instead, Derammelaere stayed patient.
He worked the count to 3-1 before drawing ball four, forcing in the winning run and sealing the 2-1 victory.
“It’s not about me at all,” Derammelaere said. “Some days it’s your day. Today I got put into spots to drive runs in and bring in two.”
Santa Rosa returns to the field Saturday when it hosts College of Marin at 1 p.m.
