Prep baseball: Rio Americano upsets No. 5 Rocklin in tense extra-innings showdown

The Rio Americano High School baseball team had a simple goal heading into Tuesday’s opening-round Sac-Joaquin Section Division ll playoff game against Rocklin: have practice Wednesday.

After a four-hour game that went 11 innings, the Raiders got their wish. By the time the game ended, the sun was setting. The Rocklin home scoreboard had run out of space. In a day defined by first-round baseball playoff upsets, the 12th-seeded Raiders joined the party, beating No. 5 Rocklin 6-3.

Rio Americano scored five runs in the 11th, all of them in an unconventional fashion. The rally included a Rio Americano batter getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, errors by the Thunder defense and a two-run single by Mac Hausman.

This is no outlier. It’s what Rio Americano coach Ron Hall preached to his guys all season: Apply the heat.

“Our philosophy is to put pressure on the defense,” Hall said. “Whether it’s a push or a drag or taking an extra base or catching someone when they aren’t switching. We always try and put pressure on the defense. Good things happen when we do that.”

After two full seasons of no playoffs due to COVID-19, it was apparent this win meant a little extra to the Raiders. Rio Americano went 25-2 last spring and had one of the best rosters in school history. No one on the current roster had played in a playoff game. Multiple players hadn’t even played in a varsity game.

“Having the playoffs back — what a relief,” Hall said. “These kids deserve to be here. The last two (teams) deserve to be here. We thought we could make a run with both clubs. We are happy COVID is kinda getting behind us. They’ve worked hard and we have had some ups and downs this year, but this is what it’s all about. I told them the goal is to practice on Wednesday.”

Hall added on his roster inexperience heading into the season. “I didn’t even realize it on paper. Then I looked and saw seven guys who had never played a varsity baseball game. It’s exciting. None of these guys had played (in a playoff game until today).”

Rio Americano junior Chase Christenson pitched 7 ⅔ innings and went the high school limit of 108 pitches. He struck out seven and added a hit and a run on offense.

“Chase on the mound was terrific,” Hall said. “Their guy (pitching) was just as good. They competed. It was just a great game.”

Hall added on why he kept him in, “I felt like he deserved this game. It was his game. I took him all the way to the limit. He was still fresh and doing well. He’s just a competitor. His curveball was good as it’s been all year. … I don’t think there is one superstar on this club and they all rally together and pick each other up. They got to witness a special club last year. They have the winning bug. We are really injured right now and seven guys aren’t even in this lineup.”

Rio Americano (17-11) has a season with life. The Raiders will travel to Turlock to face Pitman on Thursday.

“I’ll get some reports on Pittman and we will take our two-hour drive,” Hall said. “We will do our best.”

Rocklin finished 15-14. Sierra Foothill League co-MVP Brandon Larson had a home run in the eighth inning that extended the game. Larson also started on the mound for the Thunder.

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 6:02 AM.