STOCKTON — When the baseball playoffs roll around, pitching is at a premium for any team that wants to make a deep run.
Unfortunately for Woodland Christian, the clock struck midnight in the fifth inning Wednesday against Ripon Christian in the semifinal series of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs at Stagg High School.
The Knights sent 15 players to the plate and forced the Cardinals to use three pitchers in the frame while giving up 10 runs to Ripon Christian on the way to a 12-2 mercy rule win.
“That is the first time in school history we will be going to the championship game,” Ripon Christian coach John DeVisser said. “We are a little excited. I am pumped and my adrenaline is kicking in.
“We capitalized on some of their mistakes. They walked a couple of guys and we were able to put the ball in play and we just kept going. Up and down the lineup we got it done.”
The first seven Knights batters reached base and scored in the fifth with two big hits – a two-RBI double by Jadon Vander Molen and a two-RBI single by Mike Fisher.
“My batting hasn’t been that good in the playoffs,” Vander Molen said. “That was my first hit of the playoffs.
“The coaches told me to slow down, see the pitch and drive it. I got a good fast ball and was able to drive it to right field and get a couple of runs.”
Mike Cummins doubled to lead off the fourth and came in to score and tie the game at 2-2 when Fisher reached on a fielder’s choice.
“I went up there sitting on a fastball,” Fisher said of his two-RBI single. “That’s what he threw me and I got the hit.”
Cummins went the distance on the hill for Ripon Christian (23-5) and gave up no earned runs on just two hits while striking out nine. Woodland Christian (17-10) got both of its runs on a three-error play in the third inning.
“Usually, every game we try to have that one good inning of rapid fire,” Cummins said of the big 10-run fifth. “We like to see it have an effect on the other dugout.”
Cummins prepared well for his start Wednesday.
“I have been preparing for two days,” Cummins said. “I ran last night and then I iced. I ran some more and iced some more today.
“I was preparing a lot physically and mentally to pitch today.”
Knights center fielder Connor McGovern helped keep the damage to two runs in the third when he sold out to make a diving catch.
“I saw it pretty quick off the bat,” McGovern said. “I was laying back on the ball but our right fielder Daniel Hannink told me he had my back and to lay out for the ball so I gave it what I had.”
With two out in the tp of the first inning Willem Hoekstra drew a walk for Ripon Christian. With the outfielders playing deep for Travis Vander Molen, he followed Hoekstra with a pop single to left. But with the deep outfield and Hoekstra moving on the crack of the bat with two outs he was able to come all the way around from first for the game’s first run.
“He just kept going,” DeVisser said of Hoekstra. “He never stopped running – he was busting butt.
“He took the hard 90, took another hard 90 and had one hard 90 left and we got a run.”
The Knights are currently ranked eighth in the state in Division V by Cal-Hi Sports and will bring that ranking with them Monday to Zupo Field in Lodi for the SJS championship against Southern League rival Mariposa. Ripon Christian won the league championship this year, but the two teams split their series. The time of the game Monday will be announced today.
