Contreras Leaves the Yard, Stillwell Propels Oaks to 9–0 Shutout Victory 

By Micah Rodriguez

Kicking off the final week of regular-season play in the California Collegiate League, the Oaks jumped back into the win column after dropping two straight tight ballgames over the weekend. 

As has been a recipe for success throughout most of the season, a strong start on the mound propelled the Oaks to a 9–0 shutout victory over the San Diego Bombers.

Caden Stillwell, who entered the game hitting .365 at the dish, has excelled this summer as a middle-of-the-lineup bat for the Oaks. However, Stillwell – who has played in the infield, outfield, caught, and pitched – showcased his adaptability in his first start of the bump.

Heading into today's action, Stillwell had only thrown 2.1 innings; he nearly doubled his season's output today. The right-hander spun four scoreless innings with two strikeouts in just his third appearance of the summer. 

"He's so versatile," Head Coach David Soliz said regarding Stillwell. "We can put him in left [field] if we need to give somebody a day off in the outfield. We can put him in the infield or put him behind the plate. Credit to him for being very strong in that regard."

Brandon Contreras ripped his first home run of the summer in the home half of the fifth. Contreras entered today's action hitting .412 – the third-highest mark in the CCL – and improved on that number with a 3-for-3 day with a walk and hit by pitch. 

The Oaks took advantage of some poor defense from the Bombers in the bottom of the first. Already with a 1–0 lead, Tyler Antwine delivered a clutch two-out, two-RBI single past a diving second baseman and advanced to third on a throwing error, which allowed another run to cross, giving the Oaks a 4–0 lead. 

The Oaks tacked on another run in the home half of the second. Zach Mora led off the inning with a walk and came around to score on a double down the left field line for Contreras, making it a 5–0 game.

RBI fielder's choices from Mora and Owen Meli in the bottom of the third put the Oaks ahead 7–0. 

Matthew Sanders entered the game on the mound following Stillwell. The right-hander was excellent in his longest outing of the summer. Sanders dealt three scoreless frames with three strikeouts. 

After Sanders delivered his first scoreless inning in the top of the fifth, Contreras put the Oaks ahead 8–0 with his solo blast. 

Singles from Meli and Liam Wilson followed, and Matthew Witkow capped off the Oaks' output offensively with an RBI single up the middle, making it a 9–0 game.

Matthew Ramirez, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the sixth, smoked a double into the left-center gap in the home half of the eighth for his first hit of the summer. 

Right-hander Daniel Puebla worked the final two innings of the contest for the Oaks. Puebla, who is yet to allow a run through eight innings of work, only allowed two base runners as he closed out a dominant 9–0 win.

With the win, the Oaks move to 19–12–1 as they look to chase down the Orange County Riptide for the top seed in the CCL Southern Division playoffs. 

Over the weekend, the Oaks lost back-to-back games for the first time in over a month; as Soliz points out, the club is a resilient bunch.

"To these guys' credit, they're able to minimize," Soliz said. "Hopefully, with four left, we can stay in the race for that one [seed], and if not, hopefully lock down the two [seed]."

The Oaks are back at Pirate Park tomorrow for a marquee matchup with the Academy Barons, who are currently in third place in the Southern Division. The Barons enter play three games back of the Oaks in the win column and one game back in the loss column. First pitch is at 4 p.m.