With one emphatic word, Live Oak seniors Matthew Cummins and Tim O'Rourke described the feeling after their first CIF-Central Coast playoff win.
"Finally."
For the Acorns' graduating class, Wednesday's first-round victory over Half Moon Bay provided a missing piece to an already brilliant tenure. Live Oak's seniors had witnessed four postseason berths and three Blossom Valley Athletic League titles during their stay but never a playoff win - until now.
The Mount Hamilton Division co-champions seized it Wednesday in their final game at Sarich Field, pounding a 15-hit effort into an 11-4 rout.
"It feels awesome to finally do it - and to win the final home game of your career," Cummins said. "I just wish it happened sooner. It should never have taken this long."
The historic victory never seemed in question - not after Joe Forestieri's run-scoring double play gave Live Oak a 5-1 lead in the first inning. That followed a two-run double by Tony Austin and RBI-singles by O'Rourke and Cummins off Cougars' starter Ryan Grennan (0-1).
Though Half Moon Bay cut the deficit to three - 5-2 - with Evan Ross' RBI-single, O'Rourke showed no loss in command. The tall right-hander turned away six of his next seven batters, retiring the side after seven pitches in the fourth inning.
"My command was good. Everything felt like it was working for the most part," O'Rourke said. "We've always been a confident team. We just didn't pull everything together during the last couple of playoffs."
O'Rourke (1-0) struck out six batters, walked three and surrendered four runs on six hits in a complete-game effort. His first playoff win was also a tactical victory for the Acorns, who will likely start Cummins - their ace - for Saturday's second-round game against Stevenson in Monterey's Sollecito Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
"I'm going to be ready for it," said Cummins, who went 8-3 with a 1.74 ERA during the regular season. "Tim and me, I say we're both aces - he had a better record than me this year. He did a great job today, now it's my turn."
Cummins and O'Rourke paced Live Oak's offense, scoring three runs apiece while batting a perfect 4 for 4. They broke the game open in the fifth with Cummins smacking one of his two doubles over the wall in right field and O'Rourke following with a two-run triple to deep center.
"They're just as good as we thought they were going to be," said Half Moon Bay coach Tony Maganini. "They pitch well, they hit well, they play great defense. We were happy just to give them a fight. We still had a great season."
The visiting Cougars (17-11), three-way champions of the Peninsula-Ocean League, kept the Acorns honest in the fifth inning when Grennan and Cody Silveria stroked run-scoring singles into right field, making it a one-run game. Live Oak matched their two runs in the bottom half, though, with O'Rourke's triple - then doubled down. O'Rourke and Austin both crossed home, extending the lead to 9-4.
"It was important to answer," O'Rourke said. "They were starting to come back. We needed to win the inning."
The Acorns were provided runs from six different players, including one apiece from Stephen Smith and Kyle Hennings and two from Mike Devine. Live Oak chased Grennan in the fifth inning and scored two insurance runs off Eric Barton in the sixth, getting a sacrifice fly from Forestieri and a run-scoring single from O'Rourke - part of his four RBIs on the day.
"They really came to play," Maganini said.
Grennan took the loss, allowing eight runs in four-plus innings. He struck out one batter, walked another and gave up 11 hits. He and Ross went 2-for-3 batting, combining for three RBIs.
Half Moon Bay used three pinch hitters in the seventh inning and was sent down in order. O'Rourke fanned Nik France on three pitches to end it, prompting the Acorns to rush the field.
Scott Adams Scott Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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