Auburn baseball roundup: Bear River, Placer open with sweeps; Colfax stumbles in league play

Bear River High School's baseball team made a statement last week to open Pioneer Valley League play, sweeping defending-champion Oakmont in two games to cement themselves as one of the top dogs. Bear River opened the series with a 4-2 win on March 11 in Roseville before edging the Vikings 5-4 with a walk-off victory Friday. In the opener, the Bruins scored first on a wild pitch in the top of the first inning and added a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Cal Poly commit Kaden Nicholls. Nicholls also delivered on the mound, earning the win after allowing just three hits over six shutout innings while striking out eight and walking one. Ryder Eason worked in relief to secure the victory. Leadoff hitter Blake Williams led Bear River at the plate, going 2 for 4. Charlie Smith, Karter Scott and Nicholls each drove in a run, while Cooper Lunsford had two stolen bases. The Bruins completed the sweep with a dramatic finish Friday. Nicholls went 3 for 4 and tied the score in the seventh inning with a solo home run to right field as Bear River rallied for the victory. Oakmont jumped ahead on Brayden Saucedo's two-run homer in the first inning, and the Vikings added a run in the second on an RBI single by Jackson Longley. Bear River pulled even in the fifth when Lunsford hit a solo shot to left field, but the Vikings briefly regained the lead in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Matthew Aguas before the Bruins answered again. Lunsford's aggression on the basepaths was pivotal again, as he swiped third base in the seventh inning to move the winning run 90 feet from the plate. A passed ball gave him the window he needed, as he scurried home and slid across to score the winning run. Seamus McKeown earned the complete-game victory for Bear River, allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out five and walking one. The Bruins (8-1, 2-0 PVL) will face Center this week. Placer sweeps Del Campo Through the first series of Foothill Valley League play, the Placer Hillmen sit alone at the top. Placer was the only team to sweep a series, downing Del Campo 2-0 on Friday in Fair Oaks to move to 3-0 in the FVL. Robby Silski pitched a two-hit shutout and struck out nine. Silski's performance bought enough time for the Hillmen to wake up their bats in the seventh, as they broke through when Tanner Baldwin delivered an RBI single down the right-field line. Will Rogers added a run with a groundout. Gavin Otis went 2 for 2 to lead the Hillmen. Placer is scheduled to host defending Division III section-champion Roseville on Monday. Del Oro rolls past Twelve Bridges Del Oro had little trouble in a nonleague matchup Thursday, rolling past Twelve Bridges 12-2 in Loomis. The Golden Eagles answered Twelve Bridges' two-run first with three runs in the bottom of the frame and never looked back, adding three runs in the third inning and five in the fourth to break the game open. Nico Busalacchi led the offensive surge, going 4 for 4 with four RBIs, two doubles and a home run while scoring four runs. Jackson Stewart had three hits and two RBIs, while Ashton Greenhalgh homered and drove in two. Cole Bernhard earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits over five innings while striking out three. Colfax sputters against Marysville The Falcons fell to Marysville 3-2 and 11-6 in the first week of Pioneer Valley League play. In last Wednesday's series opener, Colfax struck first in the top of the third inning on RBIs by Jaimeson Rawlins and Lucas Clark, but the Indians rallied with two in the bottom frame to tie the score. Marysville scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth on Cole Karnegas' RBI fielder's choice. Colfax moved the tying run into scoring position and put the go-ahead run on base, but the Indians shut the door. The Indians took the series Friday at Colfax, erasing an early 4-0 deficit with 10 unanswered runs. Colfax bounced back Saturday, downing Valley Christian 15-2 in a nonleague matchup. The Falcons dive back into PVL play Wednesday at home against defending Division V section-champion Lincoln.