Baseball
Home Sweep: CR Wins Extra-Inning Game Against Lassen College
By Neil Tarpey/Times-Standard
Apr 20, 2009, 14:36

Spencer, T. Wood and Spencer. A corporate partnership?

No, these are three College of the Redwoods baseball players who combined to score six times and knock in seven runs in CR's dramatic 8-7, 10-inning, victory over Lassen College on Saturday.

The win gave Redwoods a three-game sweep and improved their record to 6-28 overall and 5-19 in the Golden Valley Conference. Lassen fell to 7-19, 7-17.

”It wasn't our best game but we still found a way to come back,” said CR head coach Todd Zeigler. “I was proud of them for staying with it.”

In a game that both teams appeared to have won, the home team's Spencer Duggan, Tommy Wood and Brandon Spencer did yeoman's work.

Duggan, the leadoff hitter, singled, walked twice and scored four runs.

Wood, the No. 2 hitter, singled and tripled, had four RBIs -- two in both the seventh and 10th innings -- stole two key bases, and scored twice, including the winning run.

Brandon, the cleanup and designated hitter, singled twice and knocked in three runs, including the game winner with two outs in the last of the 10th.

”It was a big relief. We were fighting as hard as we could,” said Brandon.

CR trailed 5-4 in the home half of the seventh when Kelly Miller and Duggan smacked base hits, bringing up Wood, who blasted a ball into left center.

”I knew that their center-fielder (Daveron Ross) was really fast and I was hoping he wouldn't get to it,” said Wood.

Ross didn't get to it, Wood's ball going for a triple that scored Miller and Duggan. And when the relay throw to third sailed away, Wood scampered home, giving CR a 5-4 lead and eliciting a loud roar from the home fans enjoying the sunshine.

Yet Lassen refused to fold, and Tommy O'Brien's single to left in the top of the ninth scored Zach Garcia -- who reached on a CR infield error -- with the tying run.

The drama continued in the bottom of the ninth when Redwoods loaded the bases with two outs, but could not score.

Back came the Cougars with three hits in the top of the 10th, when they scored twice on a CR outfield throwing error and a disputed delayed steal of home.

The suspense heightened in the bottom of the 10th when Miller and Duggan drew one-out walks, bringing up Wood. This time Wood not only knocked in his teammates with the tying runs, but then stole second and third and came in on Brandon's single.

Early on, CR broke the ice when Brandon stroked a RBI-single in the first and drove in a run with a fielder's choice in the third.

Clae Baker picked up the win in relief, with starter Jon Collier, Kevin Walsworth and Eric Heckman preceding him to the hill.

Cougar starter Blake Nahlen found a mid-game groove in which he went 15 batters allowing one walk and no hits. He tossed 8 2/3 innings and gave up just three earned runs.

”He pitched well,” said Lassen head coach Cort Cortez about his right-hander.

Zeigler also had good words about Nahlen's performance.

”He had some funky mechanics but he kept us off balance, and we didn't know whether to look for his change or fastball.”

While Nahlen stifled the Corsairs, Lassen scored four runs on RBI-hits by Cameron Babin, Garcia and C. J. Velarde.

© Copyright by College of the Redwoods