Trojans rally to win game, series, over Bulldogs

After two competitive close games to start the series, each team winning one, Folsom and Oak Ridge battled to win the series on Thursday in a great high school baseball game. Folsom jumped out on top 3-0 before Oak Ridge tied the score at four. The Bulldogs took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth, but Oak Ridge scored three runs in the top of the seventh to win it, 7-5, and also took the series, two games to one. Folsom (13-5 overall, 6-3 in league) won the opening game 6-4 on Tuesday, before Oak Ridge (8-10, 5-4) came back to win game two on Wednesday, 3-1. Both teams wanted to win the game on Thursday to win the series, as the Bulldogs fell one game behind Jesuit in the Sierra Foothill League standings, while Oak Ridge needed the win to climb back in the race, as they sit a game behind Folsom and a half-game behind Granite Bay (5-3). "It was a hell of a series," Oak Ridge coach Todd Melton said. "Guys stepped up today when we needed it. We weren't going to be denied." After Folsom scored a run off of Mason Newhouse in the bottom of the sixth when Manny Orange drew a walk, advanced to second on an error and then scored on two wild pitches to put the Bulldogs in front, 5-4, Oak Ridge rallied in the top of the seventh. As almost always is the case in big innings, Oak Ridge's leadoff batter Jasen Womack reached on an error by Folsom second baseman Kamren Avila. Womack stole second and then scored on Hudson Vetter's second double of the game, tying the score. Brody Timms then went the other way, driving a pitch inside the third-base bag and into left field for second consecutive double, as Oak Ridge now led 6-5. Ryan Hubbard then singled in the game's final run. "We had some clutch hitting," Melton said. "Womack has been on fire. Vetter, a sophomore, had a big double and Timms had a great piece of hitting going the other way and then Hubbard." The loss stung the Bulldogs, as the game was right there to win, but it didn't happen. "It's a tough series for us," Folsom coach Sal Rivera said. "Oak Ridge is a good team and they swing the bats exceptionally well. It's always tough losing to your rival, but we made too many mistakes defensively all week. "I thought we competed well in the box and on the mound to win the series, but when you make 10 errors in a series, it's hard to win. Nine of our errors led to runs for them and when you're facing a good hitting team, you're not going to be very successful. We have to limit their opportunities, not increase them." Folsom wasted no time taking the lead and the game's momentum, as Blake Sargent hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Oak Ridge got a run back in the top of the second when Vetter hit a leadoff double and scored on Colton Keefer's base hit. The Bulldogs made it 4-1 in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Gavin Tietz, but the Trojans put a big inning up in the top of the third, scoring three runs to tie the game at four. Again, Folsom's defense helped the Trojans start the rally, as Noah Teply reached on an error by Tietz. Teply stole second and third in front of a walk by Evan Carson before Womack's base hit scored Teply. Timms later singled in Carson before a sacrifice fly from Hubbard tied the game at four. Teply reached base twice, stole three bases and scored a run. "Noah has played three infield positions for us and everywhere he's played he's been rock solid for us," Melton said. "I'm trying to get a bunch of guys in the lineup so he plays where we need him. He's a big spark plug for us, offensively." Folsom scored five runs in the game, but could have scored more. "We left some opportunities out there offensively also which came back to get us," Rivera said. "Our plus- count approaches could have been better, but if we play better defensively those opportunities we left out there don't become so magnified. "We are a young group and we'll keep competing, learning and growing as this season goes. We are looking forward to our next league opportunities against Granite Bay." For the Trojans, they know they're better than they have played thus far. "Except for St. Francis that beat us badly, we've been walking away from the field feeling like we're beating ourselves because we're making a lot of mistakes," Melton said. "We tightened it down today. We got behind, but we showed a lot of grit. We believe in ourselves; we've just got to get it done."