Oakville pitcher Shawn Youckton winds up for the pitch against a Colton batter during their State 1B championship game in Centralia Saturday.
Oakville shortstop Ray Lopez fields a ground on Saturday during the State 1B championship matchup in Centralia against Colton. Colton won, 2-1.
Oakville's Jon Adkins (top) jumps to avoid the tag from Colton shortstop Brady Chadwick on Saturday at Ed Wheeler Field for the State 1B championship.
Oakville's Casey Davis slides to his knees trying to catch a fly ball to right field during the State 1B championship game against Colton Saturday at Ed Wheeler Field in Centralia.
Oakville's Casey Davis comes up short while diving for a catch on a deep fly ball from a Colton batter Saturday afternoon during the State 1B championship game at Ed Wheeler Field.
Oakville first baseman Gary Ortivez puts a tag on a Colton runner during the State 1B championship game in Centralia on Saturday afternoon.
The Oakville Acorns found themselves on the wrong side of the proverbial coin Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Colton in the championship game of the State 1B Baseball Tournament.
Before the game the Acorns jokingly complained that the coin flipped to determine who would bat first was unevenly weighted, causing it to land face down in the grass and making the Acorns the visitors. After landing on the losing side of a classic championship-game pitcher's duel, the Acorns undoubtedly felt much like that wonky coin, lying face down in the shadows of Ed Wheeler Field's infield grass.
While he acknowledged a great season — despite the conclusion — Acorn coach Marvin Youckton didn't mince words when it came to how his team felt in the aftermath.
“You don’t like losing,” he said.
Shawn Youckton, son of Marvin's son, took the complete game loss for Oakville, despite allowing just 2 runs on five hits and crafting a no-hitter through 4 1/3 innings. With a fastball endowed with enough velocity that younger brother and catcher, Alex Youckton, continuously had to shake feeling back into his catching hand, Shawn notched seven strikeouts in the loss.
“He did pretty good. Two runs, what can you say? Just tip your hat to the other guy,” the coach said afterwards.
Oakville held a 1-0 lead for the first four innings of play after the Acorns' first three batters singled off of Colton ace Jake Straughan. That trilogy of hits from Ray Lopez, Gary Ortivez and Shawn Youckton plated Lopez for the Acorns' only run of the game.
Then Straughan settled into a groove and retired the Acorns more or less in order for the remainder of the contest, allowing just one hit the rest of the way.
When Colton’s Brady Chadwick broke up Youckton’s no-hit bid in the fifth inning with a sharp single to center field, the Wildcats sensed their opportunity to break through. The next batter looped a Texas league single to right field and both runners advanced on an ensuing passed ball. Then Jake Straughan made the most of his moment, crushing a Youckton fastball into the left-center field gap for a bases clearing double. Those three hits, like Oakville’s earlier in the game, plated their only runs in the contest. It would be all Colton needed.
Despite his obvious disappointment for his players, skipper Youckton was able to point out numerous positives in his team’s approach. Specifically, he praised the defensive efforts of infielders Lopez and Ortivez, the latter of which made a phenomenal diving catch in the bottom of the sixth inning before scampering on all fours back to his bag to double off a dawdling runner.
“Ray Lopez played some great defense at short,” added Youckton. “There were a couple of balls that I didn’t think he was going to get, but he wound up making great plays.”
Youckton also held the team's four seniors — Shawn Youckton, Marcus Youckton, Jon Adkins and Zach Davis.
“These four seniors that we have, they did the basketball thing together and they came to baseball and really did their best to lead a team.”
In the five years since Marcus Youckton took over the Acorns, along with the assistance of Ray Lopez, Sr., Oakville has been to the state round of the playoffs four times, garnering two third-place finishes to go with Saturday's second-place trophy.
