For 10 innings, the Carson Cardinals and Oakland Oaks put on about as good of show that one could see in amateur baseball.
Both teams had numerous clutch performances, outstanding defensive plays and there was also a little controversy just to make the game that much more interesting. In the end, the Oaks outlasted the Cardinals 6-5 on Monday in the USABA 18 and under World Series at Governor's Field.
The Oaks advanced to the winner's bracket game with a 10-2 win over the Rainiers of Washington. Meanwhile, the Cardinals fell into an elimination game against the winner of the Apaches Blue of Texas and the Rainiers of Washington at 4 p.m. today at Governor's Field.
"That was just a great ball game," Cardinals coach Steve Cook said. "I'm disappointed that we didn't win, but I'm not disappointed with the way we played. They played their butts off. I couldn't be prouder of the way we played."
Although starting pitcher Ryan Henry wasn't sharp for the Cardinals, he pitched well enough to keep Carson in the game. The game was tied 3-3 before a walk and an error on a sacrifice bunt chased Henry in the sixth inning.
Adam Martin came in and induced a groundball up the middle, which shortstop Carl Winter turned into a double play with an outstanding effort. He touched second and threw to first with the runner barreling into him to turn the double play.
After Cory Dunlap, who had gone 3-for-3, was intentionally walked, DeAndre Miller followed with a shot down the first base line that Tony Teixeira dived to get a glove on. But the ball trickled into right field, allowing a run to score to give Oakland a 4-3 lead. But right fielder Aaron Henry was able to throw out Dunlap trying to advance to third to end the inning.
The Cardinals tied the score in the bottom of the seventh when Jon Teeter was hit by a pitch, moved up to second on Andrew James' sacrifice bunt and scored on Winter's single.
In the ninth, Martin finally got Dunlap to pop up. But the ball landed in no man's land in shallow right field for a bloop single. The Oaks went on to load the bases with one out and James fielded a slow roller at third. But James' only play was at first, allowing the Oaks to take a 5-4 lead.
Teeter began the bottom of the ninth by launching a flyball that was caught at the right center field fence. After Winter walked, the Cardinals were able to tie the game on a controversial play.
Neil Holmes hit a shot down the third base line into the glare of the sun that the Oaks thought was foul. But the ball was ruled fair and while the Oaks stopped, Winter kept running and scored all the way from first to tie the score 5-5. Holmes was credited with an RBI single.
Kevin Santiago gave the Oaks a 6-5 lead with an RBI single in the 10th. Martin got out of the inning on the strength of a strikeout of Dunlap, the first time he was retired in the game.
Jason Miller made the score stand up. He pitched three innings for the win.
Martin was the tough luck loser after pitching five outstanding innings.
"Adam Martin came in and relieved Ryan and did a great job," Cook said.
Henry got out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the first with a double play. But in the third, Henry gave up Dunlap's two-run home run that made it 2-0.
The Cardinals answered in the fourth when Winter doubled and Holmes followed with a two-run shot over the right centerfield scoreboard. Later in the inning, Matt Bowman and Owen Brolsma walked and Teixeira singled home pinch runner John Parmenter to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
After DeAndre Miller's RBI single tied the score 3-3, Henry got out of another one-out bases loaded jam in the fifth.
"That was definitely not his best outing of the year and he knows that," said Cook about Henry. "You ask your starting pitching to give us a chance to win the game and he did that. That's all you can ask of a starting pitcher."
Holmes had four hits, Winter had three hits and Brolsma, Murph Glover and Aaron Henry all added hits for Carson.
SOLANO 6,
APACHES RED 2
After going 0-5 in round robin play, Solano has become the surprise of the tournament, winning its first two games. Against the Apaches, Matt Hopkins went 3-for-4 with a home run and three runs and Jason Masters pitched a complete game for the win. Solano also defeated Ridgecrest 13-10.
EDMONTON 3, WOODWARD 2
Jon Christian pitched a five-hitter and allowed one earned run to pick up the win for Edmonton as he outdueled Woodward's Josh Fettke, who also pitched a complete game. In other action, Solano defeated Ridgecrest 13-10.
In other games, Douglas beat the Apaches Blue 6-0 and lost to Triple Play 12-3 and Oakland beat the Rainiers 10-2.
