Woodcreek sneaks by Rocklin in Major All-Star opener

On paper you knew it was going to be a good game and it lived up to its billing. In the first round of the Section 4 Major All-Star Tournament, District 11 champion Rocklin met up with District 54 champion Woodcreek at Rancho Cordova Little League on Friday evening. Woodcreek literally stole a 6-5 victory away from Rocklin, as a throwing error by Rocklin's catcher scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, including Connor Gray, who scored all the way first base, giving Woodcreek a 6-5 lead. Gray then sent down Rocklin 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth inning to win it. "We battled," Woodcreek Manager Scott Vaughan said. "That's an amazing group of players. They maintained their composure. I saw a little bit of frustration, but that's just because they care so much about this team." Woodcreek held a 3-1 lead from the second inning until the fourth, when Rocklin scored four runs to take a 5-3 lead. Rocklin jumped on Woodcreek's Mason Radford, who came into relieve starter JJ Gonzales with one out in the third inning. Three consecutive singles from the guys at the top of the order, Brayden Titlow, Elliot Voelz and Jeremy Demuth scored the team's first run of the inning. Later Elliot Lin, with the bases loaded, hit a double to right field that scored all three runners and put Rocklin in command, 5-3. In the bottom of the fifth inning, however, Rocklin proved to be its own worst enemy, with two of their seven errors in the game. The bottom of Woodcreek's lineup, Kaden Coco, the team's 10th batter, started the rally with a single. After Eashan Rudrakshala struck out the next batter, came a walk and then came up leadoff man Gray, who hit a ground ball to second base, which could have been an out, but was instead an error, as Lin bobbled the ball, which allowed Woodcreek to cut the lead to 5-4. With runners on first and third, Gray attempted to steal second and Rocklin catcher Luccas Morisci's throw not only eluded the shortstop but also the center fielder, allowing both runners on base to score, giving Woodcreek a 6-5 lead. Rocklin scored once in the first inning to take the initial lead, as Elliot Voelz was hit by a pitch, moved over to third and scored on Ronan Graves' ground out. Woodcreek's three runs in the bottom of the second scored when No. 11 hitter Lucas Rodriguez drew a bases loaded walk, allowing one run to score and Colt Hastings, the last batter in Woodcreek's lineup, then singled in two runs to put Woodcreek in front 3-1. Vaughan marveled at the depth of his lineup. "There isn't a guy on this team that couldn't hit first or second or in top-five in our lineup," Vaughan said. Vaughan continued, "This game was a wake-up call. Rocklin is a great team and we were fortunate to come out ahead. "I also need to give props to my coaches. They're studs. They have everything prepped and ready for the team to battle their hardest. I couldn't do it without them, at all." Rocklin Manager Pete Voelz said defense was an issue. "We came out a little too flat defensively and made way too many errors," Voelz said. "At this stage of competition, you really can't afford to make any errors. We just didn't field routine ground balls is really what it was." Rocklin is certainly not out of the tournament, as they are still one of the better teams in it. When asked if he'd like to opportunity to play Woodcreek again, Voelz said, "That's the plan. It will be a hard road to get there, but that's the plan." Woodcreek's next game is at the delightful hour of 8 a.m. Sunday morning, while Rocklin must play in the heat again Saturday at 11 a.m. against North Natomas.