Late rally lifts league-leading Woodbridge to 4-3 victory over Irvine and series edge

Connor Tallakason (left) and Lucky Ramanathan led Woodbridge to a victory Thursday. (Photo Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone)

Connor Tallakson’s sixth inning two-run single and Lucky Ramanathan’s solid relief pitching lifted Woodbridge High’s baseball team to a 4-3 victory over Irvine in a Pacific Coast League game Thursday at Ryan Lemmon Stadium.

The Warriors defeated the Vaqueros for the third time this season and improved to 14-3 to remain in first-place in the league, a game ahead of Laguna Hills (14-4). Irvine (11-8) had its six-game winning streak snapped. Beckman, which defeated Northwood 6-2, is in third place with a 13-5 mark.

Woodbridge trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth, Luke De Vries walked to lead off and moved to second after Sean McCance was hit by a pitch. Brandon Abernathy then laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases. One out later, Tallakson slapped a two-strike, two-run single to left giving Woodbridge a 4-3 lead, its first advantage of the game. 

“I was a little nervous but it was good nerves,” said Tallakson, a senior, who plans to play at Santa Ana College next year. “I know it was a big spot and I wanted to hit the ball in the middle of the field and get the runners in. This is the best team I’ve been on in my three years at Woodbridge and this team is totally focused on the moment.”

Ramanathan, a senior right-hander, came on in relief of the starter, Dylan Blakey, with a runner on and no outs in the fourth. He gave up three hits, struck out six and walked three and pitched out of jams in each inning, stranding six of six Irvine runners over the final four innings to earn the win.

“We knew Irvine had won six straight and they were coming in with fire, but we had more fire,” said Ramanathan. “It was a whole team effort and we were up for the fight.”

Woodbridge coach Ryan Brucker said Ramanathan and Tallakson are special players.

“Lucky and Connor are invaluable to our team,” Brucker said. “They have been doing it all year for us. Lucky comes in and just throws strikes and Connor has been doing a great job behind the plate and they’re both such competitors.”

Both teams had multiple scoring opportunities. Both left 11 runners on base.

Kade Zimmermann drilled a one-out sole homer to left – his second of the year – to give the Vaqueros a 1-0 lead in the third inning. He added an RBI single in the fourth to up Irvine’s lead to 2-0. The Warriors scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Irvine lead to 2-1. Chandler Hazlett’s RBI sacrifice fly gave the Vaqueros 3-1 edge in the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Ryan Kato laid down a bunt with two runners on. Irvine relief pitcher Taylor Skelley fielded the ball and threw to third and the runner was ruled out.

However, Brucker disputed the call with the infield umpire. After a short discussion with Brucker, the umpire conferred with the home plate umpire who ruled the runner safe, loading the bases. The Warriors pushed across a run in the inning, however a heads-up play by Irvine catcher Sam Dimaculangan and Skelley, who covered home and tagged out Kato, who was attempting to score on a wild pitch, to end the inning. 

The Vaqueros rallied with two outs in the seventh inning and had runners at second and third when Ramanathan struck out pinch hitter Mihir Dhodia to end the game.

“We gave up 12 free passes to first base and left 11 men on base, it’s hard to win games like that,” said Irvine Coach Gabe Cota. “But I’m proud of these guys. Woodbridge is the first-place team and we took them down to the final strike.” 

The teams play again Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Irvine.

—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone