STOCKTON — Staving off elimination with a tying run in the bottom of the seventh Tuesday night, Ripon let a golden opportunity slip away in the ninth and lost 5-2 to Linden in rubber game of this Sac-Joaquin the Section Division V best-of-three semifinal at Billy Hebert Field.
Ripon (24-5) forced the “if” game by winning 9-2 earlier Tuesday.
In the nightcap, the Indians worked the bases loaded with one out in the ninth which brought the Lions outfield in. Travis Waara hit a pop fly to center that would have fallen in under normal conditions, but Linden center fielder Hunter White was able to make the catch and then double up Matt DeDonatis at home.
“Looking back at it maybe we would have wanted one more guy to swing the bat,” Ripon coach Jon Manrique said. “But DeDonatis is one of our fastest kids and they needed to make a perfect throw at the plate and they made the play.
“It was a good play by them and we almost got underneath it. But at the end of the day they pushed it one more inning and were able to tack on a couple of more runs.”
The Lions (22-8) got two across in the top of the 10th and the Indians loaded the bases again in the bottom of the frame and again they came away empty.
Ripon played some gutsy ball to force extra innings. With the Indians down to their last out in the seventh, Angelo Baciocco legged out an infield single by inches. Baciocco stole second and came home on Waara’s single to left. Waara’s shot got away from the left fielder and he tried to advance to third but was thrown out.
Waara had a good game at shortstop, and made a great play in the eighth to keep a runner off the bases for Linden. With one out, Lions leadoff batter Scott Hushaw hit a hard shot straight up the middle and Waara ranged to his left all the way behind second and threw back across his body to get Hushaw by a step.
Fresh off the bench to left field in the sixth inning, Ripon’s Donnie Cooksey ran down a deep fly ball into the cavernous power alley and made a remarkable over-the-shoulder catch for the first out of the frame.
“That was the first defensive play I made of the night,” Cooksey said. “I lost it in the beginning but I kind of prayed I would catch it.
“I had it off the bat but then I misjudged it so I had to do a full 360 to get it back.”
Luke Petker pitched into the 10th for the Indians and helped keep the game close in the top of the seventh. With runners on the corners, no out and linden leading by one, Petker fired to Nick Price at third who was able to gain control of the ball after a collision and pick off the runner. The Lions were held scoreless in the frame, setting up the seventh-inning comeback for the Indians.
Baciocco was 3 for 4 with a triple and an RBI. Eric Jaquez (2 for 4, RBI), Gabe Calvo (2 for 4, double) and Andrew Durrer (2 for 5, triple) rounded out the Ripon attack.
The Indians earlier avoided a sweep with a 13-hit barrage complemented by six Lions errors while Ripon pitcher Jack Mayer bore down, striking out eight and allowing six hits in the complete-game victory.
“Mayer had that look,” Manrique said of the junior. “We knew his determination was going to carry him.
“He has been up here for two years now pitching in big games and we knew he could handle it and he did. You could see his dominance coming through.”
Of his eight strikeouts, four came in the seventh inning as a Linden runner reached on a strike-three passed ball.
“I was really feeling good,” Mayer said. “I got tons of run support and that helped a lot.
“All of my pitches were working. But I am going to miss my catcher (Baciocco) – he is a senior this year – and I still think he is the best in the (Trans-Valley) league at calling pitches.”
The Indians scored in all but the second and seventh innings, and scored no more than two runs in any one inning. Durrer had a two-RBI double for Ripon in the sixth, Price had an RBI triple and finished with two RBI and two runs and Baciocco was 2 for 4 with an RBI.