With two games left, seventh-place Acorns now fighting for
at-large berth in section playoffs
SAN JOSE — It’s time to worry and win.
Few can remember the last time Live Oak’s baseball team lost five games in a row, or the last time the Acorns missed the postseason. Both trivia became intertwined Tuesday, when Live Oak dropped a 9-0 decision on the road against Leigh and fell to seventh place in the Mount Hamilton Division standings with two games remaining.
Having lost their three-game seasons series against fourth-place Westmont, the reigning Division III champion Acorns (15-13 overall, 8-11 league) are out of contention for the league’s fourth and final automatic playoff berth. The CIF-Central Coast Section, though, will likely take, at least, one at-large team from the Mount Hamilton, which produced six invites a year ago.
Live Oak’s streak of 17 straight postseasons is in jeopardy, but the Acorns still have time to bolster their resume. They will host cross-town rival Sobrato at 3:30 p.m. Thursday before traveling to Branham on Friday.
Leigh (17-12, 11-9) clinched a playoff berth with relative ease Tuesday, capitalizing off six Acorn errors. The Longhorns, who are tied for second with Sobrato, took a 3-0 lead in the second and pushed ahead with back-to-back two-run innings in the fourth and fifth.
Alika Bantilan, Rich Martinez, Gabriel Mancias and Anthony Austin accounted for Live Oak’s four hits.
Starting pitcher Mark Mercer (5-2) went the distance — and was one of the three Longhorns to homer, joining Tyler Christian and Travis Velo.
Bantilan (1-4) struck out three in as many innings.
Despite the loss, Live Oak still captured its first series victory against Leigh in two years.
