TURLOCK -- The Warrior baseball team has found a home living on the edge this season. Friday was another example, as the Warriors handed Sonoma State its first loss of the season, 4-3, in a 12 inning thriller.
With the winning run in
Adam Fonville on third and one out, third baseman
Jake Oketani laid down a squeeze bunt up the first base line. Seawolf pitcher Troy Brown came off the mound to field the ball and tossed it to Konrad Thieme, but the lumbering Fonville slid under the tag at home for the winning run.
The Warriors originally held a 3-0 lead after the sixth inning.
Kyle Loretelli reached on a throwing error by Sonoma State third baseman Kris Hancock. Two batters later,
Tomas Donnelly homered to left center, his first long ball of the season.
Fonville followed Donnelly with a single and when
Leandro Dottavio reached first on another error by Hancock, who sailed a throw to first base into right field, Fonville moved to third. He would later score on a
Tom Long single.
Sonoma State scored two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. The Warriors stranded three runners in scoring position through the ninth, 10th and 11th innings.
Fonville led off the 12th inning with a single. He moved to third base on Hancock's fourth error of the game. Fonville finished the day going 3-6 with two runs scored.
Starting pitcher
Eric Federico struck out nine and limited the Seawolves to two runs on five hits in seven innings of work.
Andrew Troncale entered in the 10th inning and pitched three innings of brilliant relief for the win. Troncale struck out three, walked one and gave up two hits.
The Warriors are now 5-1 overall and have won five straight since losing to Western Oregon, 9-5, on Feb. 5 to open the season. The Seawolves drop to 6-1 overall, suffering their first loss of the season after several blowout wins over Cal State Monterey Bay, San Francisco State and Patten University.
The two teams will move to Rohnert Park Saturday to complete the three game series with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. The Warriors return home Sunday to take on Oregon Tech for a doubleheader that begins at 11 a.m.
