Saints overcome Vikings and wind for wild walkoff win

Saints overcome Vikings and wind for wild walkoff win

With winds gusting up to 30 MPH all afternoon, Mission College overcame both the weatherman and the West Valley Vikings for a 12-11 ten-inning victory Tuesday in Santa Clara. Amayas Lamar's one-out double to the left-centerfield fence drove in pinch-runner Gabriel Tapia with the winning run to set off a Saints dogpile celebration at second base and send the fans to the warmth of their cars.

The wind was a factor for both sides as any ball hit in the air was problematic and the major cause of nine combined errors. The Saints (8-6) took advantage of the first of West Valley errors after a Tevis Payne II RBI double that keyed a four-run Saints first.

The Vikings (3-8) put two runs across in the top of the fifth and then grabbed a 6-5 lead with four in the sixth. Mission took back the lead in the home half of the sixth on a Payne RBI double and a Jayce Dobie one-run single. The 7-6 lead was short-lived as WVC scored three in the top of the seventh for a 9-7 Viking advantage.

The Saints knotted it at 9-9 with a pair of runs in both the seventh and eighth innings, highlighted by Logan Stelling's solo homer to left-center in the eighth.

Two Viking runs in the ninth sent it into extra innings, setting the stage for Lamar's walk-off two-bagger in the bottom of the tenth.

Payne finished 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Stelling had the homer and a double. Dylan Unangst was 2-5 with two RBI, and Dobie was 3-5 with one RBI. Callum Olsen picked up the pitching win, giving up five hits and striking out a trio of Vikings in 3 2/3 innings of relief.

The Saints host Chabot (9-3) Friday (2/24). First pitch is slated for 2:00pm.