National’s McNear’s goes down swinging Despite two rallies, Nationals fall to Ukiah?in first round of tourney

McNear’s went down swinging, but the National League champions did go down, losing to the Ukiah’s Boiler Steak House Padres, 10-6, in the first round of the District 35 Tournament of Champions.|

McNear’s went down swinging, but the National League champions did go down, losing to the Ukiah’s Boiler Steak House Padres, 10-6, in the first round of the District 35 Tournament of Champions. The tournament brings together the winners from each participating league in District 35, which stretches from Willits to Petaluma.

Trailing from the third inning on, McNear’s rallied twice to make things very exciting. McNear’s charged in the fifth inning to get to within a run of the visitors to Carter Field. After Ukiah built a five-run lead with a big rally in the top of the sixth inning, the Nationals’ charged again, bringing the tying run to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, and what would be its last inning of the season.

After McNear’s starting pitcher Wyatt Davis had struck out the Ukiah side in the second inning, he was pitch-counted off the mound and the Nationals used three more hurlers in an effort to hold off the hard-hitting Padres.

Ukiah slipped in front with two runs in the third inning and erupted for four in the fourth to take a six-run advantage.

McNear’s stayed in the game largely through the bat heroics of No. 9-hitting Colton Lorenz. He shot a hard single to right leading off the third inning and when the ball was misplayed kept on motoring to third base, positioning himself to score on Exemi Martinez’ grounder to third. In the fourth, he belted a clutch two-out double to right to score teammates Rocco Palmini and Davis, cutting the Ukiah lead to 6-3. He had three hits in the game.

Ukiah starting pitcher Logahn Grivette, who had pitched very well through the first four innings, seemed to tire in the fifth when McNear smashed three hits to score three times and pull to within a run of the staggering Padres. The most impressive blast was a rally-starting triple to right field by David Cook.

Grivette had to leave the mound because of an 87-pitch count (85 is the maxium allowed in one game), and Andrew Villalpando came on to get the last two outs.

Desperately needing a hold in the top of the sixth, to give them a shot in the bottom of the inning, it didn’t happen for the Petalumans. A strikeout started the inning, but the next five reached base and four scored. Strong defensively most of the game, McNear’s contributed two errors to a four-run rally that clinched the game.

It might have clinched the game, but the excitement was no where near over.

In the last of the sixth inning, the ever-persistent Lorenz belted his third hit of the game with one out. Enzo Scaccalosi followed with a hit in the same direction. David Cook forced Scacclosi at second base, scoring Lorenz.

Now there were two out, but the excitement continued to grow when Davis one-hopped the righy-center field fence with a double.

With runners at second and third, Ukiah manager Tony Villalpando made the unusual move of intentionally walking Tait Joynt to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. He also brought in Caleb Ford to pitch.

The strategy worked, a pop up in foul ground to third resulted in the third out and the end to a championship McNear’s season.

Andrew Villalpando led Ukiah with three hits, while Caleb Ford and Austin Ford each had two for the Padres.

Davis joined Lorenz in the three-hit club for McNear’s.

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