Rocklin walks off on wild pitch to beat Oak Ridge

Monday's win over Oak Ridge wasn't pretty offensively, but that's often when Rocklin is at its best. The Thunder have built a reputation on resilience, finding ways to win regardless of circumstance. This year's group has been working to rediscover that identity, and it showed Monday. It took a single, a walk, a balk and finally a wild pitch in the eighth inning, but Rocklin found its breakthrough. After applying pressure all afternoon, the Thunder finally cashed in in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Max Griffith scored on a walk-off wild pitch to lift Rocklin to a 3-2 win over Oak Ridge in a crucial Sierra Foothill League matchup. Jerry Jumelet opened the frame with a single, Griffith followed with a walk, and both runners advanced on a balk before Oak Ridge could record an out. Moments later, the wild pitch got away and Griffith scurried home, diving head first to beat the throw and deliver Rocklin its first walk-off victory of the season. "That's kind of who we are," Rocklin head coach Matt Jones said. "There's something about the culture of being able to take a punch and throw a punch and not being afraid to fail. These guys believe in each other." Rocklin had threatened to end it earlier, but squandered multiple chances in the late innings. The Thunder left the go-ahead run at third after he reached with no outs in the fifth and again in the seventh, as Oak Ridge reliever Mason Newhouse worked out of multiple jams to keep the game tied at 2-2. Rocklin answered with its own escape in the sixth, stranding the bases loaded to keep things even. "That belief and trust in each other, it just keeps going," Jones said of this team's resilience. "If one guy doesn't get it done, the next guy will." Oak Ridge struck first in the opening inning, but Rocklin answered immediately with two runs in the bottom half. Griffith delivered the key swing, driving in both runs to give the Thunder a 2-1 lead. The Trojans tied it in the third when Jasen Womack lined an RBI double to right, and from there, the game turned into a grind as both bullpens were strong in relief. In the top of the eighth, Roman Castellanos delivered a momentum-swinging play, snagging a line drive at shortstop and doubling off the runner at first for the third out. Castellanos also led the Thunder at the plate, finishing with two hits and two stolen bases, while Griffith drove in two and scored the game-winner. On the mound, junior Andrew Hancock delivered under pressure, tossing six innings in relief and allowing just one run on five hits while striking out seven. Hancock, who served as a starter last year but has pivoted to long outings out of the bullpen this season, said that he hasn't changed much in how he approaches each outing. "Honestly, it's the same approach. I just go in there, throw strikes, get ahead and attack every hitter," Hancock said of coming out of the bullpen. Working behind opener Derric Stephens has become a rhythm he's embraced. "He goes through once, then I come in and try to finish it," Hancock said. "It's worked this year, and I like it." Hancock mixed a fastball, slider and changeup effectively, including working out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. "I knew my guys had me," he said. "I just did my job. Coach told me I wouldn't have to go back out there for the ninth and we didn't, because of the walk-off." The win is Rocklin's fourth in a row and it continues the turnaround from an 0-8-1 start into a team firmly in the playoff mix. "When you're 0-8-1, there's a couple directions you can go," Jones said. "These guys chose to believe we could turn it around." With postseason positioning still at stake, the Thunder believe they can make a run. "I think it's one of those years where anybody can win," Jones said. "And that includes us."