Back in the state finals

For the second straight season the Saddleback baseball team has advanced to the state championship after an 11-7 win against West Valley College on Sunday at Mt. San Antonio College.  The Bobcats need one win on Monday to claim a second state title in program history. 

Saddleback never trailed in the game, but like the game on Saturday night it came with some tense moments.  The Bobcats took a 4-0 lead over the first 1.5 innings, scoring three runs in the opening inning and then adding another in the top half of the second inning.  West Valley battled back, scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game at 4-4.

Saddleback took the lead for good in the top half of the fourth inning when they scored three times for a 7-4 advantage.  All three runs came with two outs in the inning as Jacob Beauchaine singled home Makani Tanaka before Rodrigo Barajas doubled home both J.C. Allen and Beauchaine. 

Saddleback tacked on two more runs in the top half of the sixth inning in running the lead to 9-4.  Ben Castelli tripled home Andrew Nykoluk before Tanaka drove home Castelli with a sacrifice fly.

West Valley wasn't finished, scoring twice in the sixth inning and once in the seventh to cut the lead to 9-7.  It was as close the Vikings would get as Saddleback closed the door to advance to the championship game.  The Bobcats added two insurance runs in the top half of the eighth inning when Beauchaine (pictured) blasted a two-run homer over the left-center field wall for the final runs of the game.

Saddleback went with a collection of pitchers in the win.  Damon Anderson Wolf started and pitched into the third inning before giving way to the bullpen.  Tyler Byrns entered the game and was effective for three innings while the offense built up a lead.  Jake Porter entered in the bottom half of the sixth inning after three of the first four West Valley batters reached base to start the inning.  Porter limited the damage, getting the next two batters to fly out.  Dylan Blakey came on to pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning after Saddleback had expanded the lead to four.  Blakey stifled the West Valley bats the rest of the way, striking out three Vikings in the process.  Saddleback pitchers struck out 12 batters on the night as Byrns picked up the win to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Castelli, Beauchaine, Barajas and Matthew Deutsch all had multiple hits in the game.   Allen also reached based three times with a hit and two walks while the first five guys in the lineup crossed home plate 10 times. 

Saddleback is now 33-17 overall following the win.  The Bobcats will play San Joaquin Delta College, who defeated West Valley (10-8) in an elimination game later in the day.  Saddleback would need to win just one game on Monday to secure the state title.  The first pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM on Monday.  If San Joaquin Delta were to win, a second game would be played 35 minutes after the completion of game one.