Errors prove to be costly in Napa Valley Baseball Club’s semifinal loss to Santa Rosa
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
YOUNTVILLE-Following their come from behind win on Saturday, the Napa Valley Baseball Club 19U team came in with momentum.
But, a good way to ruin your own momentum is to make seven errors. That was one of the things that doomed them in their 7-6 loss in the semifinals of the Napa Valley Fourth of July Invitational.
“We made seven errors,” Napa Valley Baseball Club coach Reed Oster explained of the tough loss. “I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a ballgame where a team made seven errors and still won. You can’t do that. I think they might have scored one or two actually earned runs. We just gave them a bunch of runs.”
In the bottom of the seventh, with Napa up by one Santa Rosa mounted a two-run rally to win the game and punch their ticket to the final of the tournament.
This heavyweight fight began right away when NVBC (15-16-1) pushed across two runs. After drawing a walk to leadoff the game, Jake Whipple scored on a Nick Schuttish single. Reid McCaffrey reached on a single and scored when Boden Cooke reached on an error.
However, the early lead that Napa Valley Baseball Club gained in the top of the first was all erased in the bottom half as Santa Rosa pushed across a pair of runs on two singles.
The Rebels gained their first lead of the game in the bottom of the third when they pushed across two more runs on a pair of errors by NVBC.
Napa cut the lead to one in the fourth when Zach Joson walked and scored on a Logan Nothmann single.
In the fifth, NVBC reclaimed the lead with two more runs. Davide Migotto singled and scored on a Alex Dehzad single. After doubling, Schuttish scored when Joson grounded into a fielder’s choice.
In the bottom of the fifth Santa Rosa was able to notch one more run to knot things up again.
Napa scored their final run of the day in the game in the sixth when Owen Schnaible reached on a bunt single and made it to second on a throwing error.
Whipple took the loss for Napa. In an inning of work he allowed two runs, which were both earned. He also walked two on the day. Other pitchers for NVBC on the day were Dylan Rody who started and lasted four innings. Owen Schnaible pitched an inning in relief as well.
“Jake’s been our closer,” Oster added. “So, I trust him, and that was the plan going in. Get the ball to Jake with the lead. That’s what we went with, and it just didn’t work out.”
Despite the fourth-place finish, it was yet another good showing for Napa Valley Baseball Club in the tournament as they made it to the last day of the tournament in back-to-back years.
Napa will be back in action on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when they visit the Fairfield Expos at Laurel Creek Park.
