Warrior baseball fends off San Pasqual Eagles, 9-6

On Wednesday, April 14, the Fallbrook High School varsity baseball team hosted the San Pasqual Eagles for the first league game of the season. The two teams did not disappoint as they went on to play a brilliant nail-biter. The momentum swung back and forth until the Warriors finally succeeded with clutch hitting, 9-6.

Fallbrook right-hander, Chase Johnson, got the start on the mound. He quickly worked the first inning by striking out the side on 13 pitches. The Warriors’ leadoff man, Tyler Wedeking, drew a walk on four pitches, but he was immediately picked off at first base. Fallbrook was unable to capitalize on Vaughn Berberet’s double later in the inning.

San Pasqual began the second inning with a single up the middle. However, Johnson was able to pitch through the inning without allowing a run. The Warriors first two batters singled; and a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring positions. A passed ball brought the runner in from third to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third, pitcher Chase Johnson put himself in a bases-loaded jam with no outs after two infield hits and a hit-by-pitch. A full-count walk brought in a runner to tie the game. Johnson gave up two more hits later in the inning putting the Warriors behind 3-1. In the bottom of the inning, Johnson helped his own cause with an RBI single to cut the San Pasqual lead to one.

The fourth inning was short for the Eagles’ bats as Chase Johnson produced three outs on just nine pitches. The Warriors were held to just one hit in the fourth.

In the fifth inning, the Eagles’ clean-up hitter, Dominique Lemus, displayed his power as he turned on an 0-2 pitch and sent it over the left field wall for a two-run shot. Lemus tormented Johnson the entire contest as he successfully hit during each of his three at-bats.

The Warriors were unfazed by a three-run deficit as Wedeking and Connor Cox hit back-to-back homeruns to start the bottom of the fifth frame. Later, first baseman Cole Chandler stroked a double to drive in the tying run, ending the game for the Eagles’ starting pitcher. The pitcher finished the day having given up nine hits and was charged with five earned runs over four and a third innings.

In the top of the sixth, Chase Ohlson was on the mound trying to hold the tie game. Ohlson struggled to find the strike zone giving up a run as he issued two walks and surrendered two hits.

However, the Warriors found a way to take the lead. Wedeking continued a great game with a single to drive in the tying run, and Berberet completed the comeback with ultimately the game-winning, three-run homerun to the opposite field, giving Fallbrook a 9-6 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Ohlson worked a scoreless seventh inning and picked up the win.

“I was pitching well. Just a few errors on defense led to a few runs, but I was pitching well and it should’ve been one run. It was a good win,” said Chase Johnson.

After the game, Fallbrook coach Jesse Schuveiller said, “I’m very proud of [the team’s] efforts; they battled back and got the win. We definitely could’ve played better. We’re still disappointed in the fact that we made silly mistakes that we shouldn’t be making at this point going in the Avocado League. I’m proud of them for coming back, but we have to fix some of the silly mistakes that we are still making.”

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