COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Rancho Santiago Sheds Runner-up Tag, Wins State Title

The Rancho Santiago baseball team has long been considered the best program in Southern California never to win a State title.

But that tag no longer fits the Dons after a 5-3 victory over Sacramento City College in the title game Monday at Sacramento City College’s Union Stadium.

The Dons (41-9) played in the title game in 1952, 1986 and 1988.

Sacramento (32-6) won it all in 1988 but has finished second for three consecutive seasons and five of the last seven.

“This has been a long time coming for me,” said Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon, in his 12th season. His teams have won four consecutive Orange Empire Conference titles. “They proved me wrong in everything I said about them. They gave me a lot of gray hairs but they did what no other team has done. This championship is for everybody that has been part of our program.”

Rancho Santiago led, 5-2, going into the ninth thanks to the efforts of starter Jason Dietrich, who was replaced by Steve Thobe after walking Aaron Weinstein with one out.

Dietrich (6-1) had a blister on his finger that limited him to three innings in the regional playoffs last weekend, but he was in much better health Monday. He allowed six hits and three runs in 8 1/3 innings.

He left two runners in scoring position in the sixth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth.

“This is the best feeling in my life,” Dietrich said. “(The blister) started to bleed at the end, but I didn’t care. I would do anything to be part of this.”

Thobe finished off the game but not before adding to its drama. He allowed a double to Matt Whitley and an RBI single by Deron Spink that put the tying runs on first and third with one out. He came back to get a fly-ball out and then struck out Brian Brewer to end the game.

It was the 11th save for Thobe, tying the Rancho Santiago single-season record set in 1991 by his brother J.J.

Before he took the mound, Thobe looked inside his hat, where he has the names of his brothers Tom and J.J., who both are minor league pitchers.

“I always look in there to remind me of how good they are,” Thobe said. “On that last pitch, I just gave it a little bit extra to get it by him.”

Sacramento, the top-ranked team in the state all season, led, 2-0, going into the bottom of the third. Rancho Santiago, the state’s No. 2-ranked team, tied it on a two-run home run by Derek Brown. It was his seventh of the season. Matt Kastelic, who was four for five, scored ahead of Brown.

“He just hung a curve,” Brown said. “This is an awesome feeling. This is the best. This is what we worked so hard for.”

The Dons went ahead, 3-2, on a sacrifice fly by Tony Treul in the fifth. In three tournament games, Treul was eight for 11 with two home runs, a triple, a double and drove in eight runs.

The Dons beat Oakland Laney, 6-3, in the quarterfinals Saturday and Sacramento, 13-1, Sunday in the semifinals.

Rancho Santiago added two runs in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead, 5-3.

Darren Troilo reached base on an error to start the inning and was sacrificed to second by Ryan Andersen. Thobe was intentionally walked and Chris Lugo singled sharply to left to load the bases.

Brewer then came in to pitch. He got ahead of David Gonzalez on a count of no balls and two strikes, but hit him on the leg with the next pitch, forcing home a run.

Jason Wakefield reached base on a throwing error, allowing the second run of the inning to score.