Newbury Oaks to Play Today for Legion Title

On the strength of its 30th consecutive victory, the Newbury Oaks American Legion baseball team qualified for the regional round of playoffs after beating Merced on Monday, 14-4, in the state tournament.

Newbury Oaks (30-1) will play today at 9 a.m. for the state championship against Cupertino. If Newbury Oaks loses, a second game will follow after a half-hour break.

Regardless of today’s outcome, both teams will advance to the regional playoffs that begin next week.

For the second consecutive day, Newbury Oaks scored an early knockout. Monday’s game was called after seven innings because of the 10-run rule after Newbury Oaks scored four times in the bottom of the seventh inning without benefit of a hit.

After two walks and a hit bats-

man loaded the bases, leadoff man Ryan Kritscher walked to force in a run. A wild pitch by Merced’s Bobby Wolfe allowed Tighe Curran to score and when catcher Steve Bailey’s throw to the plate got by Wolfe, Jamal Nichols raced home for a 13-4 lead.

Kritscher, who had moved to third base on the error, scored moments later on Robert Fick’s sacrifice fly to deep center field.

“We knew what the score was,” Kritscher said after the game, played amid hot, humid conditions at Borman Field. “We were playing to get out of here.”

Kritscher hit a home run, double and sacrifice fly, driving in four runs and scoring three. David Lamb continued his hot hitting in postseason play with two singles in four at-bats. Lamb is hitting .606 (20 for 33) since the regular season ended.

Curran (8-0) allowed four hits in seven innings with eight walks and nine strikeouts.