Bears feeling 'sick'

Maybe Andrew Rubalcava should play sick all the time.

"That's what coach and everybody said," Rubalcava said Friday afternoon, after going 4-for-4 with five RBIs to lead the East Nicolaus High baseball team to a 9-4 win over Sacramento Valley League South rival Pierce.

Rubalcava admitted it was a game-time decision whether or not he would play or sit out the home game. He ended up starting behind the plate but switched to first base in the sixth inning.

"It got too hot back there," Rubalcava said.

Rubalcava, meanwhile, made it hot for the Bears' two pitchers — starter Mike Barber and reliever Jake Driver.

In his first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, Rubalcava ripped a single to right center, scoring Joe Kukuruda, who had led off the inning with a walk. That tied the game, 1-1, after Pierce (7-13, 2-6) scored a run in the top half of the first off singles by Ottie Harris and Anthony Tapia.

Joe Kukuruda broke the 1-1 stalemate with a run-scoring double in the second inning.

"Joe's really been on fire with the bat," East Nicolaus coach Dave Deniz said of Kukuruda, who had three hits. Rubalcava singled to right to open the third but the Spartans (14-3, 7-2) failed to score. In the fourth, Rubalcava doubled down the right field line to make it 3-1, East Nicolaus.

Pierce got to within one run in the top of the fifth when Barber got aboard on an infield single off the third-base bag, stole second and scored on Driver's base hit up the middle.

"We played pretty well," Pierce coach Roy Perkins said. "We hung in there and battled. But then that kid who never hits the ball to left field lines one down the left-field line. Sometimes the baseball gods don't smile on you."

The "kid" who went the opposite way was Rubalcava. The left-handed batter ripped a full-count, bases-loaded double as part of the Spartans' four-run fifth inning that upped their lead to 7-3.

Kukuruda drove in the first run in that frame with a single to center.

"I told our kids to just keep plugging away," Deniz said, "and sooner or later we'd come up with the big hit."

The Spartans upped their lead to 9-2 with two more runs in the sixth. Jared DePaul led off with a single to left and scored on Stewie Judkins' home run over the left field fence.

Pierce tried to rally in the seventh, but mustered just two runs. Raul Cardenas led off with a double and scored on Driver's sacrifice fly out to left. Barber scored the final run. He got aboard on a fielder's choice, stole second, took third on Driver's sacrifice and scored on a passed ball.

Perkins said he has to give East Nicolaus credit because it is a very good team.

"We hit the ball well, but they made some great plays," Perkins said.

Spartans shortstop Scotty Lehman made two spectacular defensive gems. On the first, he made a lunging leap behind the second-base bag to snare a soft liner. On the second, Lehman again roamed behind the bag to flag down a ground ball. He whirled 360 degrees before throwing out the batter at first base.

"Sometimes it's tough being the coach's kid," said Deniz, who also is Lehman's father, noting a coach can sometimes be extra tough on his own son. "But I just back off and let him do his own thing."

East Nicolaus finished with 13 hits. Judkins and DePaul both had two to compliment Rubalcava and Kukuruda.

The Bears collected eight hits off Spartans starter Joe Kukuruda and reliever John Kukuruda. Harris and Tapia both had two hits.

"We're getting playoff ready," Deniz said, adding the Spartans, who are the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. IV champions, are looking forward to their SVL showdown Tuesday against visiting Delta.

"If we win, we finish as co-champs," he said.

Contact sports reporter Richard Myers at 749-4714 or rmyers@appeal-democrat.com