The Inland Valley Pirates and SoCal Mavericks came together for a CPCL contest at Mt. SAC on Monday after a wonderful Father’s Day break.
The game was the first between the Pirates and the CPCL newcomer Mavericks.
The early innings of the game flew by with hits hard to come by for either team. The Pirates took a lead in the third inning with Esteban Olazaba grounding into a fielder’s choice to score Hunter Meyer.
Pirates starter Landon Martin was fantastic, throwing three scoreless innings.
In the top of the fourth, the Mavericks were able to get runners on second and third with two outs, but Meyer made an incredible diving catch in center field to maintain the Pirates’ lead.
After six innings, the score was still 1-0, and it looked like the game might end in a pitchers’ duel.
The Mavericks’ bats finally woke up in the seventh, and with the help of two walks and an error by the Pirates, they were able to score two runs and take the lead.
In the eighth inning, the Mavericks worked two quick outs, but the Pirates began an improbable rally by hitting a single and drawing a walk. With two runners on and one in scoring position, Connor Tallakson shot a line drive into center to tie the game.
A Wyatt Prieto single returned the lead into the Pirates’ hands. With two outs, Vaugn Coleman hit a hard groundball to the Mavericks’ shortstop, who struggled to field it cleanly, which brought in an insurance run to make it 4-2.
With the lead now back in their hands and the pitching great all day, it seemed like the Pirates would breeze through the ninth inning and win the game, especially with a two-run lead.
This assumption was wrong.
The Mavericks led off the inning with a single. Pirates’ pitching stalled the Mavs’ momentum by getting a fly out, but started it right back up again by issuing a walk. A single from Kamata brought in one run, and the tying run was now in scoring position.
A single to the right fielder loaded the bases, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position. The Mavs didn’t need to get any more hits to tie as the Pirates issued another walk. A single from Runge brought in one more run to give the Mavs the lead and put the Pirates into a tough spot.
The Pirates finally got a second out, but a brutal error at third base brought in two more runs.
With the Pirates’ offense breaking out in the eighth, the comeback didn’t seem impossible, but it was definitely going to be hard as they were now chasing three to tie and four to win despite leading by two just minutes earlier.
The odds of a comeback quickly diminished as the Mavericks got two quick outs on hard-hit balls right to defenders.
Andrew Sanchez barreled a third consecutive hard hit, but this one found the outfield grass in left. Ashton Romero came up next and hit a solid line drive into center field.
The tying run was now at the plate, but there was still a lot of work to be done, and there was no margin for error with two outs. Rocco Reagan hit a groundball in the 5-6 hole immediately appearing to be a close play. Luckily for the Pirates, the shortstop overthrew the first baseman and the ball went into right field allowing Sanchez and Romero to score, and Regan to get all the way to third base.
Jordan Viramontes just needed a single to tie the game, and he did exactly that, scalding a line drive into center. Tallakson hit a single of his own to advance Viramontes into scoring position.
Roman Cruz came to the plate with a fantastic opportunity to finish the incredible two-out rally and walk off the game. Cruz shot the ball into left field with authority and Viramontes came into home plate, with both immediately being mobbed by excited teammates.
In the end, six consecutive reached safely and four scored, all with two outs.
The Pirates will be back at Mt. SAC again tomorrow to see if they can continue their magic.
Inland Valley Baseball Association 