Jul 16, 2008

Bombers no match for Oaks

By Greg Lydon / Daily News Correspondent

It was business as usual for Palo Alto Oaks starting pitcher Matt Rossignol.

The hard-throwing right-hander continued his dominant ways improving to 3-1 on the season, helping the Oaks take both games of a Sunday doubleheader against the Seaside Bombers.

Rossignol (Bethany College) pitched five scoreless innings - only yielding one hit and striking out six batters - during a 11-1 seven-inning Oaks win in Game 1.

More Oaks offense came in the second game against the severely mismatched and ill-named Bombers, as the Oaks pounded their way to a 12-4 victory to sweep both games of the double dip on a perfect Sunday afternoon at Baylands Athletic Center in Palo Alto.

"It's a concern for me to play a team like that this close to the playoffs," Oaks coach Steve Espinoza said. "We faced pitching today that we're not going to see in the playoffs. As you could see they had several members on the club over 40 years old. It's just not the right league for them to be in."

Seaside sent 54-year-old player/manager Rob Short to the hill to counter Rossignol. Short used an array of slow curves and offspeed pitches to frustrate Oaks hitters early in the game.

Several Oaks players were swinging for the fences looking to hammer the slow breaking curveballs.

"I was swinging out of my butt during my first at-bat and I struck out swinging," Oaks first baseman Max Kautz said. "I took a more patient approach at the plate the next time around."

The Oaks scored three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a perfectly executed hit-and-run play that led to a run scored by speedy leadoff man Evan Warner (Palo Alto High/College of San Mateo).

Gabe Duran knocked in Warner, while Jeff Ramirez and catcher Brian Beres also had RBIs in the first inning.

The Oaks regrouped from back-to-back quick innings at the plate in the second and the third with a solid at-bat by their first baseman in the fourth.

Beres led off the inning with a walk, then Kautz came to the plate and unloaded on a high, hanging curveball.

The two-run homer easily cleared the fence in left field to give the Oaks a 5-0 lead.

"I went with the soft lefty approach at the plate and just took a real calm smooth swing the second time around," Kautz said. "It was a hanging curveball and I didn't miss it. It felt really good."

The Oaks took an 8-1 lead into the seventh inning of play, needing only three scores to end the game via the mercy rule.

"You always want to play as few innings as possible to save some arms," Kautz said. "We kept the intensity up and got the job done in the seventh."

After the first Oaks hitter flew out to left to start the seventh, the new Bombers pitcher lost handle of the strike zone and the ballgame.

Four straight Oaks hitters reached base following the fly out - two walks and two were struck by a pitch.

The Oaks scored three runs behind zero hits in the frame to walk-off Seaside 11-1 in Game 1.

Joe Ramirez pitched five strong inning in Game 2 for the Oaks, and Skyler Brewer finished the game on the mound as the two arms aided the 12-4 victory for Palo Alto.

"Matt was on pitch count for us in Game 1," Espinoza said. "He threw a lot of innings during the college season, so he wants to keep his pitch count down during the summer. Joe Ramirez pitched a strong game for us in Game 2. Those guys (Seaside) haven't won a game yet this year."

Kautz led the team with three RBIs in Game 2. Tyler Finlay also added a pair of RBIs on a two-run double.

The Oaks face off against the San Jose Braves next Sunday at Palo Alto High in a the regular-season finale.

Baylands will host the league playoffs beginning on July 25.