Tabak singles Glendale college baseball to championship
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GLENDALE — A one-out single from Tom Tabak in the bottom of the 11th inning secured a 5-4 victory at Stengel Field on Thursday for the Glendale Community College baseball team, which clinched a share of its sixth Western State Conference East Division title in eight years.
Glendale, which finished runner-up last season to rival College of the Canyons, improved to 27-12 and 16-3 in conference and is one game ahead of Canyons (26-12, 15-4) as each ends the regular season Friday.
A win by the CCCSAA state 12th-ranked Vaqueros on Friday in Glendora versus Citrus (22-17, 11-8) would secure an outright title.
“Obviously being conference champs again is great and it’s one step closer to the final goal,” Glendale coach Chris Cicuto said. “Citrus is a heck of a team to finish off the season with and you know they’re going to grind. We have one more against them and we don’t feel like sharing the championship.”
Glendale designated hitter Thad Wilson, a Glendale High graduate, finished four for six with two runs scored and one run batted in, while center fielder Jacob Gribbin tallied a four-for-six afternoon with two RBI, a double and two stolen bases.
The Vaqueros’ bullpen was also stellar, tossing 10 1/3 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.
Prior to the 11th, Glendale’s offense struggled and generated only one hit after the sixth inning.
Wilson started the 11th with a single to right and advanced to second on a one-out single to left from Gribbin, which brought Tabak to the dish.
The left fielder had collected one hit in five at-bats to that point before ripping a 1-1 fastball over the head of Citrus’ center fielder.
Tabak would have doubled in most circumstances, but the freshman never reached second base as he was mobbed by teammates immediately after Wilson scored.
“Against that pitcher, I’ve struck out two times in three at-bats up til that point,” Tabak said. “I felt like I’ve seen what he’s pitched to me and I know everything he’s got. I’ve been working away lately and working the left side of the field. He left a pitch outside and up and I just drove it.”
The hit ended a contest that lasted 4 hours and 5 minutes and earned a victory for reliever Anthony Robles (3-1), who tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
Robles showed moxie by escaping a jam as Citrus loaded the bases with one out in the 10th on a walk, catcher’s interference and a hit batter. On the interference, Vaqueros sophomore Konner Piotto injured his hand but remained in the game since Glendale was out of catchers.
Robles survived by inducing a harmless pop-up from leadoff batter Alexis Paz, who boasts the conference’s second-best batting average (.399), and by striking out Thomas Chavez to end the threat.
“I just knew I had to come through for my guys and throw strikes,” Robles said. “We needed the win.”
Early on, Citrus College played with the intensity of a team looking to win a conference crown.
The Owls led, 3-0, heading to the bottom of the third thanks to a two-run home run from Kristian Scott and a sacrifice fly from Isaiah Montoya.
Glendale responded with a run-scoring seeing-eye single in the bottom of the third from Wilson, who plated Grant Mona, who reached on a double.
Citrus took a 4-1 lead in the fourth and Glendale countered with a two-run single in the fifth from Gribbin.
The Vaqueros pulled even at 4 in the sixth when a leadoff triple from Lucas Sakay was cashed in on a squeeze bunt from Mona.
Glendale used six pitchers with reliever Dexter Wilkerson delivering 4 1/3 scoreless innings with three hits and four strikeouts.
