Roseville surges past Rocklin with walk off homer

For five innings Tuesday, Roseville's bats were quiet. In the final two, they erupted. Sophomore Benjamin Jordan launched a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday afternoon to lift Roseville to a 4-2 victory over Rocklin, capping a four-run surge over the final two frames. "I was just thinking fastball," Jordan said. "Dude throws pretty firm. Grinding that one out. That was a very good team win." Roseville trailed 2-0 entering the sixth and had just one hit through five innings before the lineup finally broke through. Senior Devin Johnson ignited the rally with a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth, shifting momentum instantly. "When they brought in (Andrew) Hancock, something just woke up the bats," Jordan said. "It was contagious. Coach (Jason) Hanson brought us all in the dugout and gave us a talk. We needed to flip the switch and that's where it started." The Tigers kept pushing in the seventh. After a disputed call at third base earlier in the inning threatened to stall momentum, Roseville maintained its composure. "Our message from last year is to respect the game," Roseville head coach Eli Garcia said. "The calls are going to be the calls, whether they are missed calls or good calls. We just have to keep playing hard no matter what. I think it's a credit to our team how they answered." Jordan provided the final answer. He stepped in looking for something he could drive and when he got it, he didn't miss. The sophomore finished 2 for 4 while Johnson went 2 for 3. Roseville had six of its seven hits in the last two innings. Garcia credited an in-game adjustment sparked by his staff. "I want to give a shout out to my assistant coaches," Garcia said. "Jason Hanson had a really good talk with the hitters, and we made an adjustment there. It definitely paid off. We've got a lineup one through nine that can do stuff like that." On the mound, Roseville allowed two hits. Senior and UC Davis commit Tyler Ritter battled through four innings, allowing two runs while striking out seven. Junior Preston Cubbler tossed three hitless innings and earned the win. "Preston is the definition of a guy who just does everything right," Garcia said. "On and off the field, great teammate. The game rewards people like that." Garcia also praised Rocklin's Ryan Lujan, who accounted for both Thunder runs with two doubles and two RBIs.