Team San Diego drops finale of 2015
- Updated: July 17, 2015
By Chris Davis
© East County Sports.com
KEARNY MESA (7-17-15) – In a season that did not exactly live up to expectations, Team San Diego dropped the final game on the 2015 schedule by a 10-2 final to the San Diego Force at Madison High on Thursday (July 16).
With the win, the San Diego Force (36-6-1, 14-4-1 SCCBL) clinched the regular season title in the Force’s inaugural season in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League. Team San Diego (9-25, 3-17 SCCBL) on the other hand, finished at the bottom of the league.
BRETT McMILLAN (Brunswick Community College) got a single to right with one out in the first. He subsequently stole second to be the first Team SD runner to get into scoring position. The problem was that the next batter lined into a double play.
In the bottom of the inning Tim Williams singled with one out, was moved over to third on a Jordan Bower’s fourth double of the season. SCCBL home run leader Tim Leary, nine entering the day, hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field to bring in Williams and give the Force a 1-0 lead, a lead they would never relinquish.
In the second, Team San Diego had another chance to score and put some pressure on the Force. Team SD loaded the bases, with one out. The problem was that Team San Diego hit it to the one spot on the field that is like a black hole, shortstop. Chase Tucker turned the groundball to him into a double play.
Things stayed pat until the fourth inning. With one out, a walk was advanced to second on a wild pitch. A flyout followed and then single, single and a Williams home run (2nd) that cleared the 12 foot wall bounced and ricocheted back onto the field off the Madison High football snack shack to put the Force up 5-0.
In the sixth, the Force was back at it. With two outs, Trey Hunt (Point Loma Nazarene University) singled and stole second (6th). The PLNU alumni scored on a single right back up the middle to make it 7-0 Force.
The Force added one more in the seventh.
Team San Diego broke the seal on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. DANNY DONHUE (San Francisco State) singled to open the inning. Donhue looked like he was caught stealing, but was safe when the ball was seen rolling away from the second baseman. TIM COLE (Univ. of Texas-Dallas) walked to put two runners on. McMillian grounded into a fielder’s choice, putting runners on the corners. MATTHEW LAWRANCE (Renssealaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)) hit a ground ball to Tucker who made his first error since November of 2014, allowing Lawrance to reach first and load the bases up. JAKE TRYBULSKI (CSU San Marcos) hit a grounder through the 5.5 hole to bring McMillian home to get Team San Diego off the schnied. Force pitching then walked consecutive batters to bring in Lawrance to bring Team SD to within 8-2.
The Force tacked on another pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to push the lead to 10-2.
As previously stated, the Force wins the regular season title for the SCCBL. However, they will not be the top seed in the SCCBL playoffs as they will be heading to Wichita to represent the SCCBL in the National Baseball Congress World Series which begins on the 24th of July.
