SAN BERNARDINO – The Redlands High baseball team scored the winning run without so much as a hit Friday night in the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory against Beaumont.
The result was the Terriers’ first Citrus Belt League victory, achieved at San Manuel Stadium during the County Clash.
Terrier fans roared their approval as Brodie Nieto’s bases-loaded ground ball to third base was thrown low to the plate and not handled as pinch runner Justin Santos scored the winning run on the error.
The Terriers poured out of the dugout and mobbed Nieto between first and second base after the win. Beaumont players slowly left the field.
“I was just trying to get the run in, no matter what,” Nieto said. “I honestly thought he got him at home, but then I turned around and heard everyone screaming.”
In another County Clash game on Friday night, Redlands East Valley edged Citrus Valley 2-1 on pitcher Cash Dabbs’ complete-game, four-hitter. Dabbs struck out nine and walked four.
Redlands player sprint to mob Brodie Nieto while Beaumont catcher Landon Hoffman slowly exits the field following Redlands' eight-inning victory. (Photo John Murphy)
REDLANDS 4, BEAUMONT 3
Beaumont, which had played well through seven innings, handed Redlands (7-6, 1-4) the game in the bottom of the eighth.
Three consecutive walks and a fly out brought Nieto to the plate. His hard grounder was fielded, and the ball was thrown to the plate for an attempted force. But the low throw wasn’t caught as Santos scored. That touched off the Terriers’ raucous victory celebration.
“Every once in a while, the ball falls our way,” Redlands coach Greg Brock said. “I was confident with Brodie up there in that situation.”
Trailing 2-1, Redlands took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on a run-scoring single by Michael Chavez and an RBI sacrifice fly by Sullivan Ramirez.
Beaumont (2-10 overall, 1-4 CBL) tied the game 3-3 in the sixth inning on Adam Nelson’s sacrifice fly. Kolby Martin led off the inning with a double to left.
Drew Anderson and Jayden Bosquez pitched effectively for Redlands, with Bosquez getting the win in relief. They both tossed four innings.
Nieto led Redlands with two hits. Chavez, Jayden Rose, and Ramirez each drove in a run for the Terriers.
Martin had two hits for Beaumont and Nelson contributed a hit and two RBI.
“It just came down to the end and which team wanted it more,” Beaumont coach Travis Tomsen said. “We had a tough play there at the end that we definitely could have made, but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”
REDLANDS EAST VALLEY 2, CITRUS VALLEY 1
REV senior Cash Dabbs silences Citrus Valley, allowing four hits, striking out nine and and walking four. (Photo John Murphy)
Dabbs, a senior right-hander, was brilliant. He mixed a fast ball in the low 90s with a sharp slider and an effective changeup to stymie the Blackhawks (7-7, 2-1).
“I felt amazing – I knew my team was going to do the job on the field,” said Dabbs, a 6-3, 220-pound senior who is headed for the University of Louisiana-Monroe in the fall.
Dabbs entered the game with only 3-3 record, but a sparkling 0.97 earned run average.
“We’ve had Cash here for the last three years and every outing he goes out there and gives you everything he has,” REV coach Chris Paterson said. “He’ll always keep you in the game, but our offense needs to start picking him up.”
REV has lost five one-run games this season, three of them being 1-0 decisions.
Dabbs got a big hand defensively from third baseman Azael Hernandez in the sixth inning. The Wildcats were clinging to a one-run lead when Citrus Valley’s Jacob Cook stepped to the plate with a man on first and nobody out.
Cook faked a bunt and then sent a hard one-hopper at a charging Hernandez. Hernandez fielded the ball and turned a nifty, 5-4-3 double play.
“I was expecting a bunt and then at the last second he pulled back,” Hernandez said. “I knew I had to go for the double play. It felt really good.”
REV scored its runs in the fourth against Cook. Alan Gibbons’ run-scoring double drove home the Wildcats’ first run. The Wildcats tallied another when Citrus Valley botched a first-and-third situation.
“We got them in a rundown and had them, but then threw the ball away,” Citrus Valley assistant coach Joey Caro said. “We should have had the out.”
Citrus Valley cut REV’s lead in half in the fourth inning when Cook singled, went to second on a fielder’s choice, and scored on a throwing error.
Gibbons had a hit and an RBI for REV (8-7, 2-1). Adrian Abarca had two hits for Citrus Valley, which played without veteran coach Jon Austin. Austin had back surgery on Monday and probably won’t return to coaching this season.
The Inland Empire 66ers dance team livened the event Friday night at San Manuel Stadium. (Photo: John Murphy)
A third-generation San Francisco native. His first job was in Watsonville, where he wrote stories on a typewriter and people smoked in the office. He's covered Redlands, San Bernardino and Riverside.
