Catcher delivers walk-off triple in nine-inning win over Pioneer
Friday
MORGAN HILL — For a team that was short on varsity-savvy catchers at the end of last season, transfer junior Cody Van Aken has been a key defensive pickup for Live Oak baseball this spring.
For a team that was riding a four-game losing streak, Van Aken had a chance to make an offensive impact Friday with the score tied and two men on in the sixth inning against Pioneer. From the far reaches of Sarich Field, you could hear the sound of his bat pounding the dirt after he struck out.
In the ninth inning, he replaced it with long-awaited cheers. Van Aken lined a 1-0 pitch from Kevin Burchfiel into deep center field for a triple, and Ryan Muir scored from first base to tally the game-winning run of a 7-6 victory in Mount Hamilton Division play.
“It was nice to see him come through when we needed it most,” Acorns manager Mark Cummins said today. “Cody had some rough at-bats, but he’s been coming through for us all year.”
There was no bigger occasion than Friday with Live Oak (5-6 overall, 3-5 league) on the brink of its first five-game slide since 2009, when the team missed the postseason for the first time in 17 years.
Now, the Acorns are even with Pioneer (3-8, 3-5) in the division standings, two games out of first place.
“Our backs were to the wall,” Cummins said. “We’re trying to stay in contention. We still feel like we have a shot of being a championship team this year, but we needed that one Friday. Hopefully, we’ll get rolling.”
Van Aken’s drive sealed the win for closer Nick Robles (1-0), who allowed two hits in the final innings, and vindicated a gritty seven-inning start by junior ace Rich Martinez. The wirey right-hander struck out six and was tagged for five earned runs on eight hits in a would-be complete game.
Martinez overcame a blow-up second inning when the Mustangs poured in four runs with two outs. He thought he had struck out lead-off hitter Ryan O’Malley to retire the side. Instead, the called third strike was ball three, and O’Malley launched the next pitch into right field for a three-run triple.
“We told Richie to stay in the moment,” Cummins said. “He tried not to let that inning get to him. You have to let go of the past out there.”
Muir collected the one of his two singles in the first inning when Live Oak scattered four runs on consecutive bases-loaded singles by Ken Hall, Martinez and Jeff Stine, who drove in two runs. After falling behind 5-4 in the third inning, the Acorns pulled even in the bottom half when Martinez scored on an overthrow. Muir’s RBI single to left field in the fourth inning tied it again, 6-6.
Kevin Rojko doubled and singled twice, and O’Malley batted 2 for 4 to lead the Mustangs, who totaled 10 hits. Pioneer starter Kevin Wood struck out four in three innings.
This week, Live Oak will play fifth-place Westmont at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
