Missed opportunities cost Merced in Sac-Joaquin Section playoff loss to Lincoln

Months or years from now, what Lawrence Anderson will remember most from Merced High School’s heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Lincoln on Monday night will be the missed opportunities.

The Bears had baserunners on in every inning but couldn’t come up with the hit to spring the big inning when they had Lincoln starter Keegan Wallen on the ropes. Merced’s inability to score more runs early opened the door for the Trojans’ dramatic victory on Cody Valeros’ walk-off single in the seventh inning.

“Just knowing we had runners on base and we couldn’t get them in, that’s what will bug me,” Anderson said. “We needed those insurance runs in the long run.”

Merced (12-16) went hitless in its first 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position against the Trojans (22-6). In typical Bears fashion, they still found ways to score, but there were opportunities for more runs.

The Bears had the leadoff runner on in each of the first three innings, including twice on a hit batter. Merced turned a hit batter, a sacrifice bunt and an error into a run that tied the score 1-1 in the second inning when Evan Hanneman scored after Lincoln first baseman Carson Criner couldn’t handle a throw from second base.

An Anderson hit and walks to Nick Camper and Trevor Phillips loaded the bases in the third. Again, Lincoln aided the Bears with two errors to give Merced a 3-1 lead. One error came on a popup by Hanneman, which resulted in the infield fly rule being called. When Trojans second baseman Dezmond Gaines dropped the popup, the runners advanced.

It was one of many strange plays in a game played with a stiff wind.

Anderson was picked off first base and caught in a rundown in the first inning. It was a sure out until Anderson made contact with Criner and was awarded second base on interference.

“Anytime it’s windy, it makes you uncomfortable,” Merced coach Justin Parle said. “The ball does crazy things in the wind. Fly balls are weird. Pitching into the wind is tough. Wind games are always the toughest; they always have been, and they always will be.”

Merced ace Mitchell Miller uncharacteristically battled with his control from the start, as he walked six in three innings. His defense let him down in the third, as a potential inning-ending double-play grounder was misplayed, allowing a run to score. Miller then walked in a run to tie the score 3-3.

Bears right fielder Ulonzo Gilliam’s relay through Hanneman to Tanner Pellissier at the plate for an out prevented further damage.

Pellissier delivered on the mound as well in relief of Miller. The sophomore right-hander came in with two on and none out in the fourth and limited the damage to one run. Pellissier then held the Trojans scoreless in the fifth and sixth.

Merced’s Jacob Alarcon looked as if he was going to be the hero when his two-run single to left gave the Bears a 5-4 lead in the fifth.

The Bears were three outs away, but Lincoln came through in the seventh. A triple by Trent North scored pinch runner Bryce McCann to tie the score 5-5 with no outs.

Billy Burkett relieved Pellissier and almost pitched out of the jam with two groundouts, but Valeros singled past the diving Jeremy Mendoza at shortstop to score North with the winning run.

“I was just looking to make contact on a ball in the zone,” Valeros said. “My first two at-bats, I lined out to right field. I knew I was going to get another at-bat. I had to come through.”

Los Banos 14, Colfax 4 in Los Banos – Brevin Welch helped turn the tide after an ugly start by the Tigers spotted Colfax an early three-run lead in the Division IV play-in game Monday. Welch gunned down consecutive runners at the plate to help Los Banos escape the third inning unscathed and then sparked a huge rally with a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning.

The Tigers sent 15 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs in the third. Kevin Spencer and Vinny Greco each had two hits and drove in three runs. Los Banos (16-8-1) will square off with top-seeded El Dorado (22-5) on Thursday in Lodi.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Missed opportunities cost Merced in Sac-Joaquin Section playoff loss to Lincoln."