An amazing run by Benicia’s Big League all-star team came to an end last Saturday after a 3-1 loss to Thousand Oaks in the West Region semifinals in Bremerton, Wash.
Benicia (8-2) had won eight straight postseason games and a Northern California championship before getting handcuffed by Thousand Oaks pitcher Colten Follett, who allowed only five hits in a complete-game effort Saturday. Thousand Oaks, the Southern California champions – ended up beating Hawaii, 7-2, and advanced to the Big League World Series in Easley, S.C.
“We had a great time,” Benicia manager Mike Palmer said of the postseason experience. “We played extremely well and won eight games in a row. I think Thousand Oaks was the only team that could claim to be better than us in the entire West Region.”
Thousand Oaks scored in the bottom of the first inning when Griffin Mullen led off with a walk, stole second and scored on an RBI single to center by Bailey Holbrook. Benicia starting pitcher Steven Daini developed arm soreness after the first inning and left the game.
“I didn’t want to take a chance on hurting it further,” Palmer said of Daini’s arm injury.
Kyle Blakeman pitched the final five innings and allowed only two hits and two runs (one earned). Blakeman also provided Benicia’s only score of the day when he led off the top of the fourth inning with a solo homer to left to make it 2-1.
Benicia out-hit Thousand Oaks, 5-3, but couldn’t deliver the big blow other than Blakeman’s bomb.
“Our hitters just didn’t get the timely hit,” Palmer said. “You have to get hits with runners in scoring position and get guys home from third with less than two outs, and we didn’t do that.”
Mullen scored again for Thousand Oaks in the bottom of the third. He led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0.
Thousand Oaks made it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Garrett Serino led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a fly out and scored on a ground out.
Blakeman doubled leading off the sixth but was left stranded. Tanner Marchant reached second base with no one out in the fourth but no one could drive him home.
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