PHOTOS: Woodbridge stays atop PCL standings with 6-4 extra inning win over Beckman

Woodbridge catcher Connor Tallakson had the game winning RBI Friday. Photos Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone

League-leading Woodbridge notched its second victory of the year over defending Pacific Coast League baseball champion Beckman Friday. But this time the Warriors had to go extra innings, defeating the Patriots 6-4 in eight innings in a first place showdown at Beckman.

Woodbridge (11-1) has won 10 in a row and now has a two-game lead over third place Beckman (9-3). Laguna Hills, the only team to defeat Woodbridge, is in second place with a 10-2 record.

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Woodbridge moved ahead with two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Luke De Vries was hit by a pitch and went to second on a wild pitch. Jack Bunnell moved him to third on a sacrifice.

Catcher Connor Tallakson then capped a big day at the plate with a single up the middle to put the Warriors ahead 5-4. Tallakson later scored an insurance run on an error to put the Warriors ahead 6-4.

In the seventh, Warrior reliever Lucky Ramanathan shut out Beckman to record his fourth win of the year. Ramanathan (4-1) allowed no hits and no runs in two innings, struck out two and worked out of a one out, bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

“I don’t know exactly how many hit by pitches we have, but it’s up there,” said Woodbridge Coach Ryan Brucker. “It speaks to the competitiveness of not only Luke, but everybody. It’s a good, tight-knight group and they just play for each other. That’s a really big win for us against obviously a well coached Beckman team.

“I have utmost respect for Coach (Kevin) Lavalle and his team and to come in here and to be in a situation like we were in in the seventh where we have one out and the bases loaded …… Lucky has done that for us all year, he’s just such a competititor. We have 20 guys on the team and it’s a group of competitive kids who don’t give in.”

Beckman was led by Nick McLain, who who had two hits and scored two runs. Cade McGuire had two hits, including an RBI double in the first inning and Jacob Zamosky had two hits, including an RBI single in the first inning that drove home McGuire and put the Patriots ahead 2-1.

Woodbridge countered with three runs in the third inning. Bunnell had an RBI single, Tallakson drove home a run with a squeeze bunt and Ryan Kato had an RBI double to drive in the third run.

However, Beckman scored two runs in the fourth inning to tie it 4-4. McLain drove in Ashton Kanegae, who had singled, with a triple and then McLain scored on a wild pitch.

Tallakson, who also had an RBI single in the first inning to drive in De Vries, who singled, led Woodbridge’s six-hit attack and capped the day with the game-winning hit, his third RBI of the game.

“We work on it in practice all the time those situations with a runner on third and just getting the job done,” Tallakson said. “It took everybody and it took everybody on the bench too. It feels good, but work is not done, it’s only half-way. We still have a long ways to go.”

“He’s been on fire. He’s been our most clutch hitter in terms of picking up runners in scoring position,” Brucker said. “It always seems he gets a two-out hit or a two-strike hit for us.”

Bunnell pitched the first six innings, allowing four runs and striking out 11 and giving up eight hits.

Kyle Lee started for Beckman before being relieved by Jacob Hong in the fourth inning. Kanegae then came on to pitch in the seventh.

Woodbridge and Beckman still have two more meetings in the final week of the season on Wednesday, May 25 at Ryan Lemmon Stadium and Thursday, May 26 at Beckman.

Woodbridge also faces Laguna Hills two more times on Tuesday, May 4 at Laguna Hills and Wednesday, May 5 at Ryan Lemmon Stadium.

“We’re half-way through, there is still a long ways to go,” Brucker said. “Those guys (from Beckman) aren’t going to give in and we have to take care of business coming back through the last round of league where we play everybody back to back. We’re going to enjoy this one and then we have Northwood on Tuesday.”

Beckman will host Laguna Hills on Tuesday.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com