Setting up rally after rally for the opposition with mistake
after mistake, the host Live Oak High baseball team bumbled its way
right into a potentially devastating loss on Wednesday. The Acorns
committed four errors and made numerous other mistakes that led to
Hollister-San Benito runs en route to a 10-8 loss in Tri-County
Athletic League play at Sarich Field.
Setting up rally after rally for the opposition with mistake after mistake, the host Live Oak High baseball team bumbled its way right into a potentially devastating loss on Wednesday.
The Acorns committed four errors and made numerous other mistakes that led to Hollister-San Benito runs en route to a 10-8 loss in Tri-County Athletic League play at Sarich Field.
Live Oak coach Mark Cummins said his team’s defensive play, and Wednesday’s loss, has seriously jeopardized its Central Coast Section playoff chances, let alone its shot at a league title.
“Extra hitters, extra outs and extra chances, if we’re going to be a playoff-calibre team, we need to play better baseball,” Cummins said.
Live Oak fell to 6-5 in league and 10-11 overall with four regular season games to play.
After winning its first four league games to take the early lead in the TCAL standings, Live Oak has now lost five of its last seven league contests to fall into third place. Hollister (5-6) and Salinas (5-6) are a game back in fourth place.
To qualify for the CCS playoffs, a team must have a .500 record or better in league or overall play.
Live Oak has made the playoffs in each of Cummins’ 18 seasons.
“We need to capitalize on our opportunities if we’re going to keep the streak alive,” Cummins said.
If the Acorns don’t sharpen their defensive play the only thing they’ll be preparing for is summer.
After sweeping the Balers in the league-opening doubleheader last month, the Acorns seemed to take them lightly this time around despite the fact that Hollister was coming off an upset victory over first-place Palma last week.
“We didn’t come out as hungry as we did in the first two games,” Live Oak senior shortstop Dave Newton said.
Live Oak took an early 3-0 lead in support of sophomore starter Kyle Mosbrucker on an RBI double by Newton and a two-run double by Daniel Salinas.
But Hollister responded by scoring five runs in the second inning, helped by a Live Oak error and a few more mental miscues, to take a 5-3 lead.
From that point on, the contest turned into a game of cat-and-mouse, with the Acorn offense scoring off Hollister starter Jason Sims to pull within a run or two only to be thwarted by a Baler rally aided by Live Oak mistakes.
Trailing 6-3 in the fourth inning, Live Oak rallied for two runs on a bases-loaded walk by Bryce Wilson and a hit batter to pull within 6-5.
But Hollister scored a run in the fifth, then added two more in the sixth via a rally aided by consecutive Live Oak errors for a 9-5 lead.
The Acorns scored a pair of runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Andrew Cummins and Newton to make the score 9-7.
But another Acorn error allowed the Balers to add a run in the top of the seventh for a 10-7 lead.
Live Oak scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to pull within 10-8 on Doug Porras’ RBI double but the final Acorn batter struck out to end the game.
Hollister coach Derek Barnes said his young team has matured immensely over the course of the season and has begun to take advantage of opponents’ miscues.
“This is a totally different team right now than at the beginning of the season,” Barnes said. “We’re making the most out of other teams’ mistakes instead of making them ourselves. The big key is we’re hitting the baseball.”
The Acorns are scheduled to play at North Salinas on Saturday.
Next week, Live Oak is set to host Salinas on Tuesday and play at Palma on Thursday.
