There
’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned blowout to get a team back
on track and feeling better about itself.
There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned blowout to get a team back on track and feeling better about itself.
That applied very much to the Live Oak High baseball team — track references and all — during and after Friday’s 15-3 thrashing in Tri-County Athletic League play at North Salinas.
The game was ended after five innings due to the 10-run “mercy” rule.
Scoring early and always, the Acorns circled the bases like a merry-go-round that slipped a sprocket, pounding the hapless Vikings into submission by scoring all their runs in the first four innings. In fact, the game lasted five innings only because the rules said it had to.
Live Oak (7-5 in league, 11-11 overall) scored three runs in the first inning, added two more in the second, then added five runs in both the third and fourth innings to take a 15-3 lead through four.
Despite the fact that Live Oak led by more than 10 runs after four innings, the rules state that a game must last at least five innings to be considered an official contest.
Acorn junior Bryce Wilson led the charge with three doubles and six RBIs, while senior Steve Conner added a solo home run for Live Oak.
Senior starting pitcher Eric Abbott (6-1) was the recipient of the plethora of offensive support and picked up the victory.
Junior second baseman Andrew Cummins said the victory was big because it all but assures that the Acorns will make the Central Coast Section playoffs.
“We had to win two of four to make the playoffs and that was the first (win),” Cummins said. “But we want to win the next three to get a better seed in the playoffs.”
Live Oak has made the playoffs in all 17 seasons that Cummins’ father Mark has been at the helm.
Live Oak is scheduled to host Salinas on Tuesday and play at first-place Palma on Thursday this week.
North Salinas (3-17) fell to 0-12 in TCAL.
