The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team moved to 4-0 in the preseason after a late-inning comeback 6-4 win against Los Medanos at home on Wednesday.
Through the first three games of the season, Bear Cubs pitchers thrived by filling up the zone and not walking batters. This was not the case on Wednesday, as the SRJC pitchers walked a total of six batters along with several three-ball counts.
“Can’t do that,” assistant coach Tom Francois said in response to the multitude of free-passes. “That can’t happen in college baseball, man.”
When balls were put in play, the Bear Cubs helped their pitchers with multiple excellent defensive plays. Left fielder Shane Moran, right fielder Ayden Herrguth and second baseman Joe Brown all made impressive diving catches.
Freshman starting pitcher Evan Sandoval went 2 ⅔ innings, allowing one hit with three walks to go along with three strikeouts. Sandoval spread out the base runners throughout his outing, and didn’t allow any runs.
The Bear Cubs bats got started early in the bottom of the first, with center fielder Cooper Wood lacing a leadoff double in the gap.
SRJC plated two runs after a series of good at bats were capped off by a sac fly from sophomore first baseman Josh Martin followed by an RBI single by freshman designated hitter J.T. Summers that gave SRJC a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore Caleb Okada replaced Sandoval with two out and two on in the top of the third, and got to a three-ball count but managed to induce a fly out.
On the day, Okada went 3 ⅓ innings, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks. Okada allowed the first Los Medanos run on two hits and two walks in the top of the fourth.
He managed to lock back in and work out of jams until the top of the seventh when he allowed a single, hit a batter, and walked another to load the bases with no outs.
Freshman Keller Ausbun came in for Okada, and immediately threw a ball that got past sophomore catcher Cameron Duran, allowing a run to come in.
Ausbun kept the ball in the zone and induced contact, but allowed two sac flies to give Los Medanos a 4-2 lead.
Sophomore Russell Freedheim came in for Ausbun and shut the door to escape the inning.
After going scoreless since the first inning, the Bear Cubs took advantage of a complete collapse by Los Medanos pitching in the bottom of the eighth.
Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out. What followed was another hit batter, an infield single by shortstop Brett Neidlinger, another walk and one last hit batter.
In an instant, the Bear Cubs had taken a 6-4 lead off of three walks, three hit batters and an infield single.
Freedheim wasted no time and slammed the door in the top of the ninth, sealing the 6-4 win.
Freedheim dominated, allowing no base runners and striking out five of seven batters he faced.
“It was really just me trying to give us a chance,” he said. “Just throwing strikes, not even
thinking about anything. Just trying to throw strikes, let my pitches work for themselves, and just riding it.”
Assistant coach Tom Francois admitted the team had luck on its side.
“I’m not going to lie to you, whoever played the worst was going to lose the game,” he said. “That’s what happened.”
The Bear Cubs will play a third straight day on Thursday as they go on the road to Solano College. The team will be back at home on Saturday against Bakersfield at noon, weather permitting.
