2008 Woodie Awards
Owls Outlast Renegades in Offensive Onslaught
Team overcomes late-inning deficit over Bakersfield to pull out close win, 12-11
Frank Ram
Issue date: 3/9/05 Section: Sports
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The baseball team (3-3), (2-1) was victorious in its second Western State Conference game against Bakersfield (8-5), (1-1) at The Owl's Nest.
Citrus pulled off a 12-11 miracle comeback in the bottom of the ninth when Owl catcher Cliff Williamson hit a sacrifice fly to score infielder Jacob Ramirez.
Bakersfield dominated the action initially, scoring three runs in two innings. Their pitcher Matt Garnett controlled Citrus's offense, keeping the home team to only three runs in the first five innings.
However in the fifth inning, Citrus third basemen Matt Ross hit a two-run homerun that sparked a four-run rally during the sixth and seventh innings.
"Their pitcher did a great job in the first couple of innings," said Citrus head coach Steve Gomez. "We had to make the adjustments, and it was about the time Ross came up, and he sort of sparked it."
In the seventh, catcher DJ Sims got a base hit to bring in the tying run. Then Ross hit a three-run home run that gave Citrus an 11-8 lead.
"It was the start of our comeback," Ross said. "Whether it's one run, two runs, homer or a single, it's a team effort."
The excitement continued in the ninth when Bakersfield rallied to score three runs with the help of a homerun from pitcher Erich Schanz and with two RBIs hit in by outfielder Richie Newton.
"Our offense did exactly what they needed to do," said Bakersfield coach Tim Painton. "When you put 11 runs on the board, you should win 100 percent of the time."
Even so, the game wasn't over yet.
Citrus came back in the bottom of the ninth and won one of the wildest games of the young season. Final score: Citrus 12, Bakersfield 11.
"We didn't pitch well with a big lead, and we broke down defensively in the ninth, so we deserve what we got," Painton said.
Gomez expressed his satisfaction with his team's win
"That's just the way the game is," he said "On another note, I'm extremely proud of these guys. We were down by five or six runs and didn't hang our heads. We chipped away at it, and then fell behind again and still managed to win.
"I think that shows a lot of character in a team," he said.
The Owls' next home game will be against Mission (4-4), (0-2) tomorrow at 2 P.M. The team will play number one ranked Pierce (7-5), (3-0) at home on March 31 at 2 P.M.
Citrus pulled off a 12-11 miracle comeback in the bottom of the ninth when Owl catcher Cliff Williamson hit a sacrifice fly to score infielder Jacob Ramirez.
Bakersfield dominated the action initially, scoring three runs in two innings. Their pitcher Matt Garnett controlled Citrus's offense, keeping the home team to only three runs in the first five innings.
However in the fifth inning, Citrus third basemen Matt Ross hit a two-run homerun that sparked a four-run rally during the sixth and seventh innings.
"Their pitcher did a great job in the first couple of innings," said Citrus head coach Steve Gomez. "We had to make the adjustments, and it was about the time Ross came up, and he sort of sparked it."
In the seventh, catcher DJ Sims got a base hit to bring in the tying run. Then Ross hit a three-run home run that gave Citrus an 11-8 lead.
"It was the start of our comeback," Ross said. "Whether it's one run, two runs, homer or a single, it's a team effort."
The excitement continued in the ninth when Bakersfield rallied to score three runs with the help of a homerun from pitcher Erich Schanz and with two RBIs hit in by outfielder Richie Newton.
"Our offense did exactly what they needed to do," said Bakersfield coach Tim Painton. "When you put 11 runs on the board, you should win 100 percent of the time."
Even so, the game wasn't over yet.
Citrus came back in the bottom of the ninth and won one of the wildest games of the young season. Final score: Citrus 12, Bakersfield 11.
"We didn't pitch well with a big lead, and we broke down defensively in the ninth, so we deserve what we got," Painton said.
Gomez expressed his satisfaction with his team's win
"That's just the way the game is," he said "On another note, I'm extremely proud of these guys. We were down by five or six runs and didn't hang our heads. We chipped away at it, and then fell behind again and still managed to win.
"I think that shows a lot of character in a team," he said.
The Owls' next home game will be against Mission (4-4), (0-2) tomorrow at 2 P.M. The team will play number one ranked Pierce (7-5), (3-0) at home on March 31 at 2 P.M.