Sierra wins on walk-off home run, ending Folsom Lake’s season in heartbreaking fashion

Sierra College outfielder Phoenix Casias picked a dramatic time for his first career home run at any level of baseball.

“I didn’t know it was gone because I’ve never hit a home run,” Casias said. “But once I saw the left fielder (turn his back), I was like, yeah, I got that one.”

What he got was a two-run, walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of Sunday’s elimination game in the California Community College Athletic Association state championship tournament. It came against Big 8 conference rival Folsom Lake, on the Falcons’ home field, giving the Wolverines a come-from-behind 11-10 victory to keep their hopes alive for a state title.

It capped a third straight dramatic game to open the four-team tournament. The first two each went to extra innings Saturday, including the five-hour, 15-inning affair that Folsom Lake lost to Santa Ana in a game that ended at 11:30 p.m., just hours before Sunday morning’s 10 a.m. first pitch against Sierra.

Folsom Lake jumped out to a commanding 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, but then the Wolverines responded with an eight-run outburst in the bottom of the inning. It began with a two-run homer from shortstop Zach Chamizo, beginning a string of six straight hitters reaching base.

“They just didn’t stop all day,” Sierra coach Ryan Evangelho said. “We were down 6-0 and they came roaring back and we give up the lead again — and we come roaring back again.”

Indeed, after taking an 8-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons scored four runs in the next two innings to jump back ahead, 10-8. Casias led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and scored on a base hit from Dillon Wells to make it a one-run game, setting up his game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth.

“We get a guy on and anything can happen in this yard,” Evangelho said. “The ball kind of flies out of here.”

Casias was an all-conference performer last season as a freshman but got off to a slower start to his second junior college season. He hit .375 as a freshman and .322 coming into Sunday. But, like he said, he had never hit a home run before the walk-off blast in the biggest game of the season.

“It was a struggle at first, but it’s only a matter of time,” Casias said of his second-year start. “Once you know have it, you just got to find it again.”

There was a state of shock at Falcon Field when the ball left Casias’ bat. Folsom Lake, of course, was hosting the tournament, but was the visiting team on Sunday. Falcons players and fans were emotional knowing their season just ended, while Sierra’s players leaped out of the dugout to celebrate with Casias at home plate.

“Euphoric. Incredible,” Casias said of the feeling he had when rounding the bases.

The Falcons players, meanwhile, where dejected. Tears were flowing and heads were down as they walked off the field while the Wolverines players celebrated.

Head coach Rich Gregory’s team overcame early-season adversity when the Falcons lost their top two pitchers to injury, making a return to the state championships after falling in the 2022 title game to Riverside.

Gregory was also emotional, welling up when talking about the relationships he’s created with his players who might never play for the Falcons again — and the lasting impact he hopes the program will have on their lives.

“When we talked out there,” Gregory said, “I brought them in close and I just said: ‘I’m incredibly proud of you. ’The thing that you got out of this, you got lifetime relationships. You got a brotherhood that’s going to be with you the rest of your life. You got someone you’re gonna be able to call when you’re 35, who you haven’t talked to in five years, when something goes wrong, or something goes bad. They’re all going to be here for you.’ And this type of event, this type of accomplishment, really cements those types of bonds and those types of relationships.”

Folsom Lake was the first team eliminated from the tournament following the 15-inning loss Saturday night to Santa Ana. Sierra, which dropped its opening game to Saddleback, will advance to play the loser of Sunday afternoon’s game between Santa Ana and Saddleback. The winners of those games will advance to the championship round Monday.