Yuba City gets first game in crosstown series

Never satisfied, Zach Oakley's always asking for feedback on his swing. What he did wrong, what can be better, how can he make more of an impact - the queries are endless. He's so persistent it drives his coach up the dugout walls.

"Hey, just shut up and hit the ball," Yuba City High's Vicente Luevano told his slugger on Tuesday.

In one of the season's biggest moments, he received the message loud and clear. Oakley belted a two-RBI double in the sixth inning and the Honkers came from behind to defeat River Valley 8-7 at Winship Field.

"He's a guy that you want up in a big situation," Luevano said.

And they don't get much larger than what the senior third baseman faced when he dug in with his team down 7-6.

First, the obvious for the area's baseball inclined: Yuba City has never lost to River Valley. The Falcons, once the outgunned upstart of a school, were doing more than just hanging with the four-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Champions. After 12 tries, they were in a legitimate position to make history.

Second: A Yuba City victory would clinch the Tri-County Conference for the Honkers. It's a goal the team's strived for all season, eager to show the area they can still vie with the absence of now retired coach Jim Stassi and his big-time playing sons.

Third: The atmosphere. It was a packed house. There were plenty of players from other school's sizing Yuba City up — all the more pressure for a player in self-described slump.

He didn't let it affect him.

"I had a feeling it was time," said Oakley, who was 2 for 3 with a run. "I was due."

Yuba City as a whole only had five hits. The Honkers plated five of their runs in the third inning without the assistance of an RBI single. In fact, aside from Oakley's moment, center fielder Raul Lozano had the only other RBI hit for the 2011 TCC champions.

Walks, stolen bases, wild pitches, and a 2-1 fastball inside that Oakley ripped to left to score Seth Davis and Aaron Byers. Those are the main reason's the home team scored enough to walk away happy in the first game of this three-game series. Cody Kent started the game for Yuba City, Ryan Pope helped the Honkers escape a tumultuous sixth inning and Jake Cormier picked up a 1-2-3 save in the seventh.

"We're a team that just fights," Luevano said.

The night wasn't completely sour for River Valley (15-8, 7-4), though. The Falcons took a quick 2-0 lead in the first three innings and battled in the sixth to climb ahead. Colin Gault went 2 for 23 with a double and two runs to lead the River Valley.

Plus the sweetest news was transpiring an hour away. With a Woodland defeat (13-4 to Pioneer), River Valley is locked into the playoffs.