The Trojans flexed a little extra muscle Thursday against the Sacramento City Panthers, pulling ahead for the win in an otherwise very even game.
After eight and a half innings of reciprocal attacks, the Trojans were finally able to produce an unanswerable rally in the bottom of the ninth, nicely utilizing their home team advantage to take the win 7-6.
Skyline started off strong, picking up three points in the first two innings, but Sacramento City came right back, tacking on three in the top of the third to tie it up. In the top of the sixth the Panthers infielder Brian Stamps stole second and was then driven home by a sacrifice bunt and a soft bouncer down the first base line.
After two more doubles that drove runners in, the Trojans found themselves down 4-6. Finding a new defensive wind in the top of the seventh, they threw out an attempted steal and ran down a runner in a pickle. They proceeded to hit four singles on offense, allowing infielders Lucas Hagberg and Sean Rogers to score. At 6-6 the game was tied once again.
The eighth inning saw little action, save second baseman Taylor Heon’s impressive dive catch to end it. The panthers missed their opportunity to take the lead once again in the ninth, allowing Skyline to take the game after Nico Vargas hit a walk off double, bringing Rogers home for the final point.
The Trojans continue their series this Thursday, the 16th against Hartnell college in Salinas.