Live Oak sophomore infielder Bradley Perigo (8) gets a base hit in the Lions’ 8-6 defeat to Marysville on Monday, April 15.

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - The Marysville Indians baseball team defeated the Live Oak Lions 8-6 in a cross-section matchup on Monday, April 15.

Live Oak jumped out to an early lead in the first half inning of the games as four hits, including two doubles, pushed across two runs.

Marysville responded in the bottom of the second inning and tied the game at two after freshman outfielder Austin Jacobs hit a runs-batted-in (RBI) single with two outs. 

Live Oak junior utility Gabriel Ramirez (2) swings at a pitch in the Lions’ 8-6 loss to Marysville on Monday, April 15.

The Indians pushed a run across the plate for the next four consecutive innings to ultimately have the upper hand over Live Oak for the win, but the back-and-forth affair showed both teams had patience, as there were 21 total walks throughout the game.

Marysville senior second baseman Andrey Palomo told Messenger Publisher Group that going into an at-bat with a lot of confidence for a hitter is one of the biggest things they can do for themselves.

“If you don’t show any confidence going into the box, you’re not going to hit,” Palomo said. 

Palomo had an RBI double in the third, and two walks on the day to contribute to the victory. 

Despite coming away with the loss, the Lions had more hits (7) and walks (12) in the game.

Live Oak senior catcher Eben Jones and junior pitcher/infielder T.J. Ehrke expressed to MPG they were able to stay within reach of the lead throughout the game and that was a big positive for the team.

Live Oak junior pitcher Tanner Tillotson (7) throws a pitch in the Lions’ 8-6 defeat to Marysville on Monday, April 15.

Ehrke was the only player in the game with a multi-hit day and said to MPG that they had a good day overall and had their chances to win the game.

Jones added that the competitiveness level they had against Marysville mimicked the intensity they had similarly in the Lions’ loss on March 25 to Las Plumas, who was ranked in the top 10 of the Northern Section by MaxPreps as late as Sunday, April 21.

The Indians took a 4-3 lead in the third inning when senior infielder/pitcher Wyatt Lococo scored on an error by junior infielder Luis Carrasco; Live Oak had three errors total in the game.

Palomo’s double added the fifth run for Marysville, and both teams traded runs for the next few innings. The Lions had an opportunity in the seventh inning as the bases were loaded with two outs, but Lococo was able to shut the door and get a fly ball for the final out. 

Lococo pitched three innings in relief and gave up two hits and one run, and hit a double and hit an RBI in the third inning.

The tight victory could be noted as a big win for the Indians as they have had a couple close games that got away from them throughout the season. 

Marysville Head Coach Dominic Barriga told MPG that he could think of up to five games throughout the season where the Indians were unsuccessful at closing out a game playing seven full innings of baseball. 

“It’s a confidence boost for us,” Barriga said. He added that the boost towards the end of the season shares a bright spotlight for this season in hopes of making a final push for a playoff spot.

Barriga said he was happy with the patient approaches he saw at the plate from his team.

Marysville had a break from Pioneer Valley League play last week as they beat Valley Christian (Roseville) 10-5 on Friday, April 19. The Indians were scheduled to play against Colfax this week and they finish up PVL play with Twelve Bridges next week.

Jones expressed to MPG that as the lone senior on the Live Oak team this season, he wanted to get a league victory in the Sacramento Valley League of the NS as the Lions went into the week losing 24 consecutive league games.

That changed the following day after the Marysville defeat, as Live Oak swept Pierce with two wins last week to snap nearly a two-year drought. The Lions were scheduled to play a two-game SVL series with Paradise this week.