“That's the story of our season you know,” said Lompoc senior Justin McComber. “I don't remember a game when we weren't down.”

And the Braves were down twice. Trailing 6-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Lompoc scored three times in the sixth and the seventh innings, then scored twice in the bottom of the ninth after falling behind 7-6, to defeat Oak Park 8-7 in a first-round matchup of the CIF Division IV baseball playoffs at Dan Bodary Field.

Lompoc (18-8) will next play San Dimas, a 7-1 winner over Anaheim. A coin flip today will determine the site. Oak Park finishes the season at 16-10.

McComber tied the game with a two-run home run in the seventh, then won the game with a two-run triple in the ninth, helping the Braves move into the second round.

“We keep battling, we've been doing it all season,” marveled Lompoc coach Jim Allen. “It's huge early in the season to keep coming back. You get games like this and the guys never stop. And it's a different guy everyday.”

All the damage from Lompoc in the game came from Chris Mallory, Daulton Rouleau and McComber, the 3-4-5 batters in the Braves lineup.

“Our 3-4-5 in the order,” explained Allen, “they're sitting there talking with each other ‘Just give us one more time to come up and win it.'

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“Chris did a good job getting that inning started,” said Allen about the ninth. “Then Daulton works up a walk there, then Justin comes up huge there.”

Oak Park had retaken the lead in the top of the ninth. Daniel Hendrix singled to start the inning against Lompoc reliever Matt Nunes. After trying to bunt, Zach Granowitz was hit by a pitch, moving Hendrix to second. After failing to lay down a sacrifice, Blair Walters reached out and poked the ball into short center, scoring Hendrix from second.

Nunes then struck out Mitchell Halpert, who had homered earlier in the game, before getting Ty Muller to hit into a 5-3 double play.

So once again the Braves found themselves down in a do-or-die situation.

Mallory started the inning with a single. Rouleau walked on four straight pitches from reliever David Domke. It was on a 3-1 count that McComber stroked the ball into right-center for the winner.

“No pressure,” said McComber about his game-winning hit. “With Kirk (Fridrich), I had a good hitter behind me. So I just wanted to get them over and get Kirk up there, then I just found a gap.”

After falling behind again, the Braves started the inning confident.

“The feeling was we needed two instead of one this time,” explained McComber. “We never put ourselves out. We can be down nine and still think we have a chance.

“That's the way it's been all year,” he continued. “We know we are never out of a ballgame - ever. It's a great feeling to know that we can come in down by whatever, and win it.”

Things did not look good early for the Braves. They left the bases loaded in the first without scoring, then fell behind in the second.

Oak Park's Ryan Jensen was hit by a Fridrich pitch with one out. He went to second on a wild pitch, then scored on a single by Jake Whitaker. Whitaker moved to third on a double by Jake Hagen, then scored when a ground ball went between the legs of Braves first baseman Cody Berryman.

Halpert hit a solo home run in the third to extend the lead to 3-0. The Eagles scored another single run in the fifth on a single by Walters, the Oak Park starting pitcher, a wild pitch and an RBI single by Muller.

Hendrix hit a two-run home run off of Nunes in the sixth, moving Oak Park ahead 6-0.

In the first five innings, Lompoc was held to one hit and had only two baserunners from the second through the fifth. Then the Braves started to come alive.

In the bottom of the sixth, Mallory singled, Rouleau doubled and McComber was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Fridrich walked to score the first run.

Scott Aguilar grounded to second scoring the second run, then Tim Ochoa just beat a throw from shortstop to first, breaking up a double play, allowing McComber to score. After Ochoa stole second to give the Braves runners at second and third, Walters struck out Brandon Alonzo to end the threat.

In the seventh, Mallory tripled and scored on a single by Rouleau. McComber followed with the game tying homer to dead center.

“It was 2-1 and I was thinking man it's too early to go home now,” explained McComber. “I saw a fast ball and I just went. You know, I'm really not a power hitter. I only had one home run all year.”

Mallory scored three times, as did Rouleau.

“Chris is on base just about everytime he comes up,” said McComber, “and Dalton is batting over .450. I just have to come up and find some way to score them. Those two really set the table for Kirk and me.”

“We picked each other up and we battled together as a team today,” Allen said. “We know when we get to the fifth, sixth and seventh innings that we love to compete there. We practice that every single day.

“We turned it up late,” he continued, “and they (Oak Park) didn't beat themselves, we came out and beat them. Hey, they are a good ballclub, a tough draw in the first round. Hopefully we can build on that.”

Savanna 6, St. Joseph 1

ANAHEIM - The Rebels spotted the Knights a first-inning run, then struck for four in the bottom of the second.

Brandon Ancheta doubled in St. Joseph's run. Temmates Matt Hartin and Kyle Noe were 2-for-2 and 2-for-3 respectively. Hartin doubled.

Savanna pitcher Michael Warner struck out seven and walked none in a six-hit complete game.

Warner helped himself by doubling. Jordan Byrd, Pedro Ureno and Dylan Roberson all doubled.

El Segundo 3, Cabrillo 1

EL SEGUNDO - Danny Duffy did his part by striking out nine and limiting the Eagles to four hits, but two key errors in the middle innings were the doom of the Conquistadores in a Division IV first-round loss.

Duffy walked five in the loss for Cabrillo (14-12-1), but a misplayed ball in the infield broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning, followed by a defensive miscue in the outfield an inning later to lead to another El Segundo run.

Michael Quinones earned the win for the Eagles by allowing one run on five hits.

Duffy went 2-for-3 in the loss.

Track and field

Hasay chosen for Junior Worlds Team

Jordan Hasay has been selected for the U.S. Junior Worlds Team.

Hasay will race in the 3,000 meters in the meet, that takes place July 11-15 at Ostrava, Czech Republic. She was notified of her selection Thursday night.

More details on Hasay's selection will appear in Saturday's Times.

May 18, 2007