Big Folsom Lake comeback falls short in 15-inning loss to Santa Ana in state championships
After five hours and a miraculous four-run comeback in the bottom of the 13th inning, the Folsom Lake Falcons came up just short.
Folsom Lake lost 8-7 in 15 innings to the Santa Ana College Dons in the first round of the California Community College Athletic Association state baseball championship Saturday night at Falcon Field.
“I think we had enough opportunities to win today, many, many times during the day,” Falcons head coach Rich Gregory said. “I don’t think we played our brand of baseball. ... We didn’t take care of the baseball today and, in the end, that cost us.”
Santa Ana outfielder Ryan Stock hit a solo home run in the top of the 15th to win it. Southern California teams won both games in extra innings on the first day of the four-team, double-elimination tournament that will crown a state champion Monday.
With the loss, Folsom Lake will have a quick turnaround before playing Big 8 Conference rival Sierra College in a loser’s bracket game at 10 a.m. Sunday. Sierra suffered a 10-9 loss to Saddleback in 10 innings earlier in the day.
But it looked for a moment Folsom Lake, which is hosting the state championships and participating for the second consecutive season, would come back and win after falling down big in the 13th inning. Santa Ana center fielder Eddie Pelc broke a 3-3 tie with a bases-loaded double that appeared to put the game on ice.
Then the Falcons responded with four runs to keep the game going late into the night. The final tying run came when star third baseman Logan Sutter scored on a Christian Cochran single. It appeared the throw from left field beat him to home plate, but the ball was mishandled by catcher Mario Tostado, who might have won the game had he held on.
The loud and boisterous Falcons dugout erupted, only to be silenced two innings later when Stock’s home run sailed over the left field fence. Gregory lamented his team’s defense with four errors — two of Santa Ana’s runs were unearned in a one-run loss — and two-strike approach at the plate.
But he remained proud of his group for coming back.
“I think it really speaks to (our) club,” Gregory said. “There’s never any quit in them. There hasn’t been all year. They fight no matter what. You saw that today. The ups and downs of baseball, especially at this stage in the year, they’re hanging on every pitch. They want it bad. ... Unfortunately, only team can win on this day in this game.”
Sutter, the Big 8 player of the year, had a three-hit night, one of which was a home run. First baseman JT Waldon, who’s playing at USC next season, also had three hits and drove in two runs during the 13th inning rally.
