San Marcos scored all five of its runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning on Friday, opening its baseball season with a 5-3 home win over Oxnard.
“It was great to see us bounce back in the sixth like that. It was a good start,” said second-year head coach Rob Crawford.
Nick Stathopoulos picked up the win, putting down the Yellowjackets in order in the first, third and fourth innings. He finished with three strikeouts and needed just 87 pitches.
Oxnard brought in its flame-thrower to pitch the sixth, and Crawford estimated that his fastball was brushing 90 mph. The Royals, however, sat on the fastballs and got a hold of them.
The inning began ominously with a 4-6-3 double-play, but Shane Moore followed with a line-drive single into right field. The Royals drew back-to-back walks on full counts to load the bases, and David Kim drove in the first two runs on a base hit to right-center.
Jimmy Brakka picked up an RBI single and Shane Wieland followed with a two-run double. Matt Roberts drove in the fifth run on a come-backer off the pitcher’s glove, beating the throw to first and allowing Brakka to score.
The game was part of the 30-team Southern California Invitational, and the Royals will continue play at Birmingham High School at 11 a.m. Saturday.
SAN MARCOS 5, OXNARD 3
Oxnard…010 002 0 — 3 5 2
San Marcos…000 005 x — 5 8 2
Balades, Beltran (6) and Diaz. Stathopoulos and RMoore.
2B — O: Sandoval, Ramon; SM: Wieland. 3B — SM: RMoore.
