Live Oak beat Piedmont Hills 6-2 Thursday to secure a
co-championship in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton
Division.
Live Oak beat Piedmont Hills 6-2 Thursday to secure a co-championship in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division.
The Acorns will share the title with Leigh, but earned the higher seed in the Central Coast Section playoffs for having won two of its three games with the Longhorns this season.
“This team has carried on our tradition in a strong way,” Live Oak coach Mark Cummins said. “They have worked extremely hard and have persevered with our backs to the wall. To win our last five games, especially in the manner we did is incredible. This division of the BVAL has quality teams and programs so to win the league in our first year is very gratifying.”
Live Oak trailed in four of those five games down the stretch, but rallied for victories each time.
In the victory over Piedmont Hills, the Acorns struck first with a run in the first inning. With two outs, Matthew Cummins singled and scored on a double by Adam Perez to deep left center field.
The Pirates scored an unearned run in the second inning off starting pitcher Alika Bantilan and took a 2-1 lead with a run in the fourth inning on two hits.
The score remained 2-1 until the sixth inning. With one out, Stephen Smith singled. Joe Forestieri followed with a two-run homer to left field to give the Acorns the lead 3-2.
“Joe came through for us in a huge situation,” Cummins said. “Piedmont Hills was feeling pretty confident they could knock us off up to that point.”
Live Oak increased the lead to 6-2 in the seventh inning. Eddie Gomez singled to lead off the inning and with one out Perez was hit by a pitch. Anthony Austin singled to center field to score Gomez and Bantilan reached base on an error by the third baseman to load the bases. Smith doubled to left center to give the Acorns the final four-run margin.
“Those were some important runs to score,” Cummins said.
Matthew Cummins came in of relief of Bantilan in the fifth inning and pitched three shutout innings, allowing two infield singles while striking out three to raise his record to 5-1 on the mound.
“Matthew really came through for us down the stretch, winning two games and saving two on the mound,” Coach Cummins said.
