By Paul Gadbois - redbluffbaseball.com

Tuesday, April 29 - @ Pleasant Valley

Red Bluff ace Ben Redfield carried his teammates into the fifth inning, tied 2-2 with league champion Pleasant Valley in Chico Tuesday, but the Spartans fell apart to lose 12-2.
Josh Thompson ripped a two-run single in the top of the fifth inning, but the Spartans literally ran themselves out of the rally and then gave up 10 runs in the bottom half to lose via 10-run mercy rule.
E.J. Stanton led off the top of the fifth with an infield hit, a hard-hit grounder that took a tough hop off the third baseman's chest, and Redfield yanked a line drive into left field. Both reached scoring position on a wild pitch before Thompson delivered his game-tying hit, a scorching liner up the middle.
Thompson broke up a double-play ball off the bat of Cody Gappa, sliding hard into second base, and aggressive base running by Gappa put runners at the corners after Daniel Zelwick singled to left with one out.
Then Red Bluff lost faith in its offense.
Zelwick wandered off first base trying to induce a throw so Gappa could steal home, but Zelwick didn't stay in the pickle long enough for the Bush-league play to work, and was tagged out near second base.
Josh Penne drew a two-out walk and the Spartans tried this tactic again. Penne wandered off first base with Gappa still on third, and Gappa was gunned down at the plate to kill the rally — with Lucas Sandow, Simon Villalvazo and Lance Zazueta — the heart of Red Bluff's batting order — due up.
They never got the chance to hit, as Redfield ran into trouble in the bottom half of the inning and Villalvazo and Stanton had even worse luck, as the Vikings piled up 10 runs and, with only one out, forced the Spartans into submission.
Redfield suffered his first loss of the season, giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits in four-plus innings. Villalvazo lasted just one-third of an inning. He was tagged with five earned runs on two hits and three walks. Stanton gave up two earned runs on one hit, a hit batter and a walk, which was intentional to load the bases with one out to set up a double-play chance. That strategy failed after a wild pitch enabled the Vikings' final run to score.
Red Bluff followed up this nightmare with another 10-run loss, at home to Shasta, in the league finale on Friday night. The Spartans (9-5 EAL, 19-6) will still host the first round of Division I NSCIF playoffs on Friday, but their seed and opponent will not be determined until Wednesday.

Red Bluff 000 02x x — 2 7 3
Pleasant Valley 101 0(10)x x — 12 9 0

RED BLUFF IP H R ER BB SO
Redfield (L, 7-1) 4 6 5 4 2 2
Villalvazo 0.1 2 5 5 3 0
Stanton 0 1 2 2 1 0

Top hitters:
Zelwick 1X2; Sandow 1X2; Stanton 1X2, R; Redfield 2X2, R; Thompson 2X2, 2 RBI