The Dower Report
SONORA CA – Santa Rosa Fastpitch escaped a “close call” in Sunday’s semifinals before going on the win its second straight tournament at Sonora’s Standard Park, downing Fat City 9-0 in five innings in the championship game of the NAFA Tournament.
Sunday’s single-elimination tournament was strictly for Class C teams, but on Saturday, Santa Rosa posted an impressive 5-2 win over the Class B River City Rockers after dropping a narrow 9-7 decision to another strong Class B team, Team Pape. Earlier, Santa Rosa overcame an early 4-0 deficit to drub Fat City 22-11.
Brandon Shearer, the loser against Team Pape, came right back to turn in his strongest performance of the season in beating the Rockers. Shearer and River City starter Ed Gaspar were locked in a 2-2 tie before Gaspar had to leave the game in the fifth with an injury. Santa Rosa then scored three runs to break the game open.
On Sunday, Santa Rosa opened with a six-inning 13-6 win over Country Club Villa, with Shearer, who was 4-1 when Santa Rosa Red finished 4-1 in the Sonora ASA Tornament earlier this season (the Blue team won six straight to take the title), picking up his second win of the weekend.
Gary Dower, who was the winner in relief in Saturday’s first game over Fat City, started in Sunday’s semifinals against the Merced Merchants, but was roughed up for four runs in the first inning before settling down. Merced still led 7-6 with Santa Rosa batting in the bottom of the fifth and facing the time limit. Santa Rosa had a runner on second with two out and one minute to play, when they had Mike Mathewson bunt for a quick out.
That forced the game into the sixth inning and after Shearer, who had relieved Dower, halted Merced in the top half of the inning, Santa Rosa scored twice to win the game, 8-7, with Casey Hillman hitting a long drive to left to drive in the game winning run. Shearer then shut down Fat City in the championship game for his third win of the day and fourth of the tournament. Fat City reached the finals by battering 45 Plus 13-4 in its semifinal game and the 45’s had eliminated J. Hart Plumbing, 9-8 in the first round.
–Herb Dower