Sophomore Will Tokar is met with high fives in the dugout after a ground ball scored him in to get the Bear Cubs on the board against Cañada College on Friday, Feb. 6 at home.
The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team improved to 4-3 after a late offensive surge and a strong showing from its pitching staff — lifting the Bear Cubs to a 4-1 win over Cañada College Friday.
Sophomore starting pitcher Wyatt Abramson worked three scoreless innings before being relieved by Myles Standish.
In his last two appearances, Standish threw 11 consecutive shutout innings with 16 strikeouts.
Standish held the mound for nearly six innings. He threw six strikeouts and allowed six baserunners, with one scoring on an RBI single in the eighth inning.
“It was working really well — just using the same sequence every single time.” Standish said. You gotta get ahead — number one rule.”
Offensively, Santa Rosa struggled through five innings, with designated hitter Aiden Sakai having the only hit.
Sophomore designated hitter Aiden Sakai celebrates after making it safely to first in the game against Cañada College on Friday, Feb. 6 at home. (Yna Bollock)
The Bear Cubs ended the drought in the sixth inning starting with a double from left fielder Will Tokar.
Second baseman Trevor Schlafer hit a ground ball, provoking a wild throw to first from Cañada to bring Tokar home.
Right fielder Anane Wilson ignited Santa Rosa’s decisive seventh inning with a single to right field. Center fielder Cooper Wood followed with a walk.
Schlafer laid down a bunt single that forced another wild throw from Cañada to plate Wilson and Wood home.
First baseman J.T. Summers capped the rally with an RBI double to right field, pushing the lead to 4-1.
Schlafer’s bunt proved to be the dagger.
“It was a pretty big moment for us and got the momentum going,” Schafer said. “It wasn’t going well. We were hitting the ball hard but lining out.”
Santa Rosa second baseman Trevor Schlafer lays down a bunt single and causes a wild throw from Cañada to score two runs in the seventh inning on Feb. 6 at home. (Yna Bollock)
Evan Sandoval replaced Standish during the ninth inning and closed the game by retiring the final two hitters to secure the win.
Pitching coach Jared Noonan credited Schlafer for turning the game around despite the lack of offense.
“Bunts late in the game like that can tilt the game pretty hard,” Noonan said. “It worked out for us and we were able to put down those three [runs] and put them away.”
Standish said the team stayed focused despite the adversity. “It was a team win today. Our batting has struggled the past couple weeks and today we really worked as a team to get that win,” he said.
The Bear Cubs carried that momentum into Saturday, completing the back-to-back sweep with another 4-1 win at Cañada, improving to 5-3 this season.
Santa Rosa will play College of San Mateo on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Sophomore pitcher Myles Standish relieves the starting pitcher and winds back for a pitch against Cañada College on Friday, Feb. 6 at home.