Vigilantes Run Out of Opportunities

MISSION VIEJO —  That the Vigilantes got the potential tying runs on base in the ninth inning Sunday was no great surprise.

It also shouldn’t have come as any great shock to anyone in the announced crowd of 1,934 that the Vigilantes stranded the runners in a 4-2 loss to Reno in a Western Baseball League game at Saddleback College.

The Vigilantes had 12 hits but left 12 runners, including two in five different innings.

Manager Brad Lesley, who was looking at the bigger picture, was in a happy mood after the game.

The Vigilantes showed improvement in the last week, winning four of six home games after a 1-5 trip.

“We’re a heck of a lot better team than we were a week ago,” said Lesley, who is running the team until Manager Buck Rodgers returns from Ohio later this month. “We’re playing well and we just need to take this momentum on the road.”

The Vigilantes (15-19) are headed for a four-game series at first-place Sonoma County (22-12) starting Tuesday.

Reno, which had lost the first two games of the series, used three home runs to take a 4-2 lead going into the ninth.

David Francisco had a homer in the fourth to tie it, 1-1, and Gary Hagy hit a run-scoring single later in the inning to make it 2-1.

Andy Tarpley hit an inside the park homer in the sixth, when his fly ball eluded Alan Burke and bounced off the top of the fence.

The first three homers came off starter Scott Singleton, who lost for the fifth consecutive time after winning his first two starts of the season.

Reno’s Brent Jenkins hit a home run in the eighth off Kirk Kishita.

The Vigilantes got a run back when Reuben Smiley hit a homer well over the fence in right to start the eighth.

Things looked promising in the ninth when Mike Moutrey and Sam Taylor began with line-drive singles.

Bret Barberie got a sacrifice bunt down and the runners moved to second and third with Burke coming up.

But Burke, who leads the team with 33 runs batted in, struck out swinging against reliever Bob Ayrault.

Ayrault, who had come in to face Barberie, got Carl Nichols to ground to second to end the game. It was his team-leading fourth save.

Nichols had driven in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the third.

We just stranded some people today,” Lesley said, “but all in all we’re playing better.”