Bear River faces elimination after game 1 loss to Amador, Colfax downs Ripon Christian

With just four teams remaining in the Division VI Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, the postseason shifted to the best-of-three semifinal round. One side of the bracket featured a familiar matchup, as No. 2 Amador hosted No. 3 Bear River in a rematch of last year's semifinal series won by the Bruins. The Buffaloes (23-5-1) spent the offseason waiting for another shot at Bear River, and it showed Tuesday. Amador jumped out to an early lead before breaking the game open with a big fifth inning on the way to a 9-3 victory, taking control of the series as it shifts back to Lake of the Pines. "Our goal was just to come out and get game one to put all the pressure on them for the next two games," said Amador senior Brad Blankenheim. "Last year we went over there and lost to them, so that's kind of been sitting with us all offseason." Blankenheim earned the win in a dominant start, throwing five hitless innings and striking out eight while walking three. He also made his presence felt at the plate, belting a two-run homer in the sixth inning to punctuate the victory for the Buffaloes. Blankenheim added the Buffaloes have had Bear River (17-11) circled all season, knowing a postseason matchup with the Bruins was likely standing between them and a section title. "All year we've been talking about going to beat Bear River and win a section championship. We've just got to keep throwing strikes, get good pitches to hit and keep putting pressure on them," said Blankenheim. "This whole group of seniors has been playing together since we were four or five years old, so we always kind of knew our senior year was going to be our shot. Last year we thought it was it, and then we lost, so ever since then we've been working way harder to get ready for this." The Buffaloes capitalized on an early Bear River error to grab a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and Bruins coach Russell Brackett said his team never recovered from the momentum swing. "The score doesn't dictate what actually happened," said Brackett. "We gave mistakes away in the first inning, gave them all the momentum and never got it back. It's a completely different game if we get out of that first inning." After a rocky first inning, Bear River starter Ryder Eason settled in on the mound, striking out eight and walking two while allowing just four hits across his outing. The two first-inning runs were the only runs he surrendered, both of them unearned. "He pitched great. He did exactly what we wanted him to do," Brackett said of Eason. "If we get those outs early on, his pitch count's lower and he probably goes deeper in the game. He was a bulldog today." Bear River was held without a hit until the sixth inning, but the Bruins found some life late, scoring three runs on five hits over the final two innings. Cooper Lunsford and Brayden Estrada each finished with two hits and an RBI, while Seamus McKeown also drove in a run. The Buffaloes were led offensively by Blankenheim, Miguel Torres and Henry Boetzer with two hits each. Blankenheim and John McPartland each had two RBIs. The series shifts back to Lake of the Pines on Thursday where the Bruins need a win to keep their season alive. Blankenheim said it's a different feeling than last year to have the upper hand in the series, but he knows that the Buffaloes can't let up if they want to reach the section championship. "It's definitely more comfortable being on this side of it, but we still know we've got to go play," said Blankenheim. "We're going to see their dudes on the mound, so we've just got to keep playing our game." With Bear River now facing elimination, Brackett said the message to his team is simple: play together. "The only way this team wins baseball games is together. We didn't play well together today, and we've got to play well together on Thursday," said Brackett. "We need to wake up. We've got another game at home Thursday and we've got to respond." No. 5 Colfax 10, No. 1 Ripon Christian 4: The fifth-seeded Falcons (13-14-1) stayed red-hot Tuesday afternoon, knocking off top-seeded Ripon Christian 10-4 on the road to take a 1-0 lead in the semifinal series. Colfax broke the game open with a five-run third inning and never looked back, piling up 11 hits while taking advantage of four Ripon Christian errors. Cole Hudson led the way offensively with two hits and three RBIs, while Jono Cleek went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. David Cleek and Brady Stowers each scored twice for Colfax. After Ripon Christian cut the deficit to 7-3 in the third inning, Colfax answered with runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings to maintain control. Tyler McCabe tossed three innings of relief and struck out four, while Matteo Smiley closed out the victory with a hitless seventh inning. Paolo O'Brien earned the win for the Falcons. The Knights were limited to five hits in the loss, with Maxx Anderson driving in two runs and Jackson Howell and Talen Tameling each collecting doubles. Colfax will look to close out the series at home on Thursday.