Sierra loses heartbreaker on fly ball in the sun to open California state championships
The Sierra College Wolverines suffered a heartbreaking loss on the first day of the California state baseball championships Saturday at Folsom Lake College’s Falcon Field.
Saddleback’s Isaiah Morales scored the winning run from second base in the bottom of the 10th inning when Sierra right fielder Andre Chacon lost sight of a fly ball in the sun, giving the Bobcats a 10-9 win to begin the double-elimination tournament.
“It was a tough one all the way around,” Sierra coach Ryan Evanghelo said.
The extra-inning drama unfolded after the Wolverines lost a 9-7 lead going into the eighth. They had four errors on the day leading to four unearned runs, not including the final play of the game.
“To lose a fly ball in the sun, that’s not on Andre right there,” Evanghelo said. “I watched him the inning before check the sun and I just told him that it’s one of those ones that got right in (the sun) and he couldn’t find it.”
This was the first game of the California Community College Athletic Association state championships. Sierra and Folsom Lake, two Sacramento-area programs from the Big 8 conference, are representing Northern California while Saddleback and Santa Ana represent Southern California.
All four teams will play again Sunday. A state champion will be crowned Monday.
Game 1 was a back-and-forth contest throughout at pristine Falcon Field, although the playing surface was clearly firm with ground balls coming up and hitting Sierra’s infielders in the upper body. Saddleback, which committed no errors and allowed zero unearned runs, got the win while playing a cleaner game. Evanghelo said his players need to charge ground balls and snag them before they can take extra hops, which can be unpredictable.
Sierra got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, only to allow three more in the bottom of the frame with the last coming on an error by star shortstop Zach Chamizo, who will play for UC Riverside next season.
Wolverines designated hitter Joshua Hardamon hit a solo home run to center field and Chacon added a two-run double in the third to help Sierra take a 7-3 lead. But then Bobcats right fielder Cole Koniarsky homered ahead of three unearned runs coming via errors on ground balls and a wild pitch, tying the game 7-7 in the fourth.
Second baseman Dillon Wells, who had one of the errors in the fourth, singled in two runs in the seventh to give Sierra the lead. But then Saddleback tied it with two runs in the eighth coming on a sacrifice fly from JC Allen and an RBI single up the middle from Koniarsky.
Koniarsky’s game-tying hit came after Sierra misjudged a foul pop up, giving him second life.
Sierra left-handed starter Kai Peterson, who has signed on to play at Rice next season, allowed seven runs, but only three were earned over 3.2 innings. Sierra closer Matthew Sigafoos, who will play at UNLV, was tagged with the loss. Clayton Coats, Chacon and Wells all finished with two RBI. Hardamon, Jack Weise and Andrew Paolini combined to score six runs.
The loss means Sierra goes to the loser’s bracket. The Wolverines will play at 10 a.m. Sunday against the loser of Saturday’s late game between Folsom Lake and Santa Ana. One more loss and the Wolverines will be eliminated.
Saddleback, meanwhile, will play the Folsom Lake-Santa Ana winner at 2 p.m. Sunday. The loser of that contest will play the winner of the morning game.
“I think our backs are against the wall. There’s no doubt about that,” Evanghelo said. “We just got to come out fighting. We’re not dead yet. ... Anything can happen.”
