After a Saturday filled with drama and intrigue, Sunday’s 3C2A baseball playoff game between American River and Feather River left little for Golden Eagle fans to worry about.
Instead, it was a celebration from the beginning.
Feather River scored eight runs in the first three innings, led 10-3 early and never trailed during a 19-8 victory over American River that vaults them into a Super Regional next week at home against Hartnell College. The Golden Eagles smacked 22 hits and put up crooked numbers in five innings to take two of three from the Beavers and advance.
The Golden Eagles had to win two straight games against American River after losing the first game of the three-game series on Saturday, 24-9.
“We are very excited for our guys as we bounced back from a tough first game and were able to win the series,” said FRC head coach Terry Baumgartner. “We had a lot better focus and determination the last two games. It was awesome seeing the smiles on their faces after winning the regional championship.”
The smiles started early. The home team scored three in the first, four in the third, two in the fourth and sixth and then capped the celebration with seven runs in the eighth. To cap the series, they sent 13 batters to the plate that inning with five hits and even left three runners on base.
The 22 hits overall is the second highest total for the Dirty Birds this season. Walker DesRosier had five of those hits (5-for-7) and Bryce Sargent had four. Luke Henderson and Josh Davies had three each. Jake Dahl drove in four runs, and DesRosier, Henderson and Sargent had three RBI each.
Four different pitchers toed the rubber for Baumgartner, with Kani Thomas throwing the final three innings without allowing a run and just two hits. He got the save, while reliever Keller Bloodworth got the win with 2.2 innings of work and one run earned.
Up next is Hartnell College, out of the Coast Conference. The Panthers are 25-18, having just won their super regional against Sacramento City College and San Joaquin Delta. The three-game series begins on Thursday (May 7) with a single game at 2 pm, followed by a Friday encounter at 1 pm. If necessary, the rubber match would be on Saturday at noon.
“Up next is a very tough opponent in Hartnell,” Baumgartner said. “This is the first time that we have played them since I have been here. It should be a great series.”
