Matthew Davis
Sheps Season comes to an end

Sheps Win Three in a Row

BOX SCORE

The So-Cal Shepherds extended their winning streak to three after beating the Long Beach Legends by the score of 12-9 at Long Beach City College. 

Our player of the game Drew Salyers went 3-5 with a sacrifice fly and a bases loaded double to earn 4 RBI’s and to lead the Sheps to the win. However, starter Jackson LoBianco was a close second as he threw five innings with six hits giving up 2 runs, striking out 4 and walking none. 

The Shepherds had a chance to open the scoring in the top of the second, earning a walk and a single having first and third with zero outs. However, the Sheps would fail to take advantage as three strikeouts with a walk mixed in between would end the inning with bases loaded and no runs. 

The Sheps would score in the very next inning with two back to back two out singles to drive in a runner from first to put them up 1-0 in the top of the third. 

The Sheps would extend the lead and break the game open in the fourth as they started the inning with three straight singles as Aaron Zubiate got the third and the RBI as he drove in the run. 

Shane Poe would continue the scoring in the fourth with a sacrifice fly before Drew Salyers drove in the other three runs in the inning with a two out bases-loaded double to clear the bases and put the Shepherds up by the score of 6-0. 

The Legends would fight back and cut the lead to four in the bottom of the fifth scoring two. They were able to finally break through against LoBianco as a one out single scored a runner from second before a two out single plated another to make the score 6-2. 

The Legends would get another in the bottom of the next inning to cut the lead down to three with three innings to go. 

The Shepherds  got all three of those runs back and more in the top of the 7th as the inning started with a lead-off double and two walks. Aaron Zubiate would drive them all in with a bases clearing triple to extend the lead back to 6 before Brandon Adams drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make the score 10-3. 

The Legends would fight back again with a two run double in the bottom of the 7th before the Shepherds would answer right back with a bases loaded walk in the top of the 8th making the score 11-5. 

The Legends would continue to fight back in the bottom of the 8th as the first five batters reached in the top of the 8th, scoring 4 and closing the Shepherds lead to two after they led by as much as 7. 

The Shepherds would get another run in the top of the 9th before closer Cameron Kelly would come in and close out the win for the Shepherds with the final score of 12-9. 

The Sheps are back in action tomorrow against the Inland Valley Pirates at 6:30 PM at Cal Poly Pomona. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball) and our new Tiktok (@Shepherdsbaseball).

So-Cal Sheps Win Second Comback in a Row

BOX SCORE

The So-Cal Shepherds won their second comeback in a row as they battled back down 4-0 to take the game against the Inland Valley Bucs by the score of 9-5.

The Shepherds were down 4-0 and had not gotten a hit before the sixth inning when our player of the game, JP Hefft, hit a go-ahead grand slam to give the Sheps the lead, a lead that they would maintain all the way until the final out.

After a quick first three innings, the Bucs started the scoring as a two out single plated two in the top of the fourth before an error in right field and a passed ball allowed another to score. This put the Bucs in the lead 3-0 as the Sheps were struggling offensively as they still had not recorded a hit going into the fourth inning. 

The Bucs extended their lead in the fifth on an RBI infield single to make it 4-0. The Bucs looked to get more with bases loaded and one out until a double play ended the inning. 

The Shepherds would break out of their slump in the bottom of the 6th as three hit batters would load the bases before Rhett Stein got the first hit of the game for the Shepherds to score a run and make it 4-1. 

The very next batter would put the Sheps ahead on their second hit of the game as JP Hefft blasted a grand slam over the left field wall to make the score 5-4 in favor of the Sheps in the bottom of the 6th.  

Birthday boy Drew Salyers would add another in the 6th with an RBI double to score Brenden Coffindaffer from first as the Sheps scored six in the sixth. 

The Bucs would answer with a run in the 7th before the Sheps answered right back as Shane Poe Blasted a no-doubter over the left center field fence. 

The Shepherds would extend their lead in the bottom of the eighth as Drew Salyers got his second RBI double of the game to plate two more to make the score 9-5.

Cameron Kelly would come in to close out the game in the ninth, retiring the first three Bucs batters he saw and ending the game with the final score of 9-5.
The Sheps are back in action on Monday against the Long Beach Legends at 1 PM at Long Beach Community College. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball) and our new Tiktok (@Shepherdsbaseball).

Sheps Split Series with Comback Win

BOX SCORE

The So-Cal Shepherds splits double header against the Inland Valley Pirates. The Shepheds lost the first game 9-3 before earning a thrilling comeback win in the second game 7-6. This moves the Shepherds record to 2-1 while the Inland Valley Pirates are now 4-1 including 3 wins against conference opponents. 

Starting pitcher Jackson LoBianco Highlighted the second game for the shepherds throwing 5 innings with 4 strikeouts, one walk and one earned run. However, our player of the game is KJ Moo-Young who had a clutch game tying triple and a running catch, crashing into the wall. 

The Shepherds struggled offensively as they only got 3 hits in the first game but picked it up a  in the second game with eight hits, including two homeruns. 

The Pirates got the scoring started early in the first game as they scored two runs on two hits and two errors in the top of the first to capture the lead before the Sheps got a chance at the plate. 

The Pirates were able to add on to their lead in the top of the third after an RBI single, Sacrifice fly and an error made by the Shepherds catcher on a throw down to second which plated three more runs to make it 5-0. 

They would continue to shut down the Shepherds and get runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth to extend their lead to 8-0. 

The shepherds broke free in the bottom of the sixth and were able to get a run from a Drew Salyers single down the left field line, scoring Shane Poe from second to cut the lead to seven. 

Both teams scored in the seventh, with the Pirates scoring one and the Shepherds scoring two to end the first game with the final score of 9-3. 

In the second game, the pirates struck early again as they scored two runs in the first inning, just as they did in the first game. 

Brandon Adams took a ball deep to the opposite field in the bottom of the 3rd to open the scoring for the shepherds and to cut the lead in half. The solo shot flew over the right feild fence to make it a 2-1 score. The Sheps tied the game the next inning as Andrew Lujan doubled, then stole third and went home after an error on the throw to third. 

The Pirates would retake the lead as RBI singles in the 6th and 7th would extend their lead and make the score 4-2, a much lower score than either of these teams are used to. 

However, Aaron Zubiate took a ball deep over the right field wall to cut the Pirates lead in half again and to keep the Shepherds in the game.The Shepherds would take advantage in the very next inning as KJ Moo-Young got an RBI triple to score JP Hefft from first to tie the game. Shane Poe and Rhett Stein would both follow with RBI singles before a sacrifice fly would score the Shepherds fourth run of the inning. 

The Pirates blasted another ball over the right field wall for a solo homerun and scored another but fell just short as the Shepherds scraped by and won by the score of 7-6. 

The Sheps are back in action this Saturday against the Inland Valley Bucs at 1 PM at La Habra High School. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball) and our new Tiktok (@Shepherdsbaseball). 

So-Cal Shepherds start season strong!

BOX SCORE

La Habra,CA - Matthew Davis

The Shepherds opened their season with a 12-5 win over the Ventura County pirates.

Ritter Stienmann started the game for the Sheps and went three innings giving up one unearned run on five hits. He allowed one walk and struck out one as he set the tone and shut down the pirates to give his team the opportunity to go ahead. 

Shane Poe highlighted the high-powered offensive display and earned the player of the game, having a 3-4 night with a walk, two runs and two RBI’s. 

The Shepherds struck first as an error resulted in the first run of the Summer to put them up 1-0. Shane Poe got a hard earned twelve pitch walk in the bottom of the second inning before stealing second base and scoring on a ground ball to the second baseman that was booted into right field.  

The Pirates tied it in the next half inning as a ground ball to first had a messed-up exchange between the first basemen and the pitcher as the ball rolled to the first base fence and a runner scored from second. 

The Shepherd's offense answered right back in a big way as the Sheps scored six runs in the bottom of the frame to blow the game wide open and go up 7-1. Drew Salyers started the bottom of the third with a leadoff double and his teammates followed as the first seven batters reached base with three hits and four walks. The inning was capped off with a two out, bases loaded double by Rhett Stein to score two. 

The Shepherds added four more in the fourth to go up 11-1 as JP Hefft had a sac fly while Shane Poe, Alex Laureano and Drew Salyers all got RBI singles.

However,  the Pirates didn’t go down without a fight as they scored four in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a three run home run to cut the lead to six and make it 11-5. 

It was not enough as the Sheps would add another and close it out to make the final score 12-5. 

Notes

What's Next?

The shepherds are back in action this Sunday at La Habra high school with two games against the Inland Valley Pirates with the first starting at 1:00 PM. The Sheps look to sink those pirates just as they did against Ventura County. 

SoCal Shepherd’s Preseason Preview

The SoCal Shepherds are looking to bounce back after last year's 1st round playoff exit. With the first game rapidly approaching on June 10th against the Ventura County Pirates, here are some of the key players to keep an eye out for this season: 

 

The first of two returning players is infielder and right-handed pitcher Jackson LoBianco. Jackson is going into his junior year and played his spring at Shippensburg University. At Shippensburg, he pitched 22 ⅓ innings allowing five earned runs and striking out 16 in his sophomore year. In 15 relief appearances, Jackson recorded five saves with a 2.01 ERA. 

 

Last year with the Shepherds, Jackson had a batting average of .257 with an OBP of .358. He had 18 hits in 21 games, including two doubles and a Homerun. 

 

The second of our returners is right-handed pitcher Andrew White. This is Andrew’s third summer on the Shepherds, last year he pitched 31 ⅔ innings with 27 strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA. He pitched the second most innings for the Shepherds last year, and you can expect him to be a key member of the pitching staff again this year. 

 

One of the new players joining the Shepherds this summer is Shane Poe. Shane is a shortstop that plays his springs at Mendocino College where he had a .407 batting average in 36 games including 35 RBI’s and 15 stolen bases in 2022. Shane excelled against his in-conference opponents, brandishing a batting average of .458 and a slugging percentage of .711 for the Eagles. He’s making the trip down to Southern California to heavily contribute to the Shepherd's offense this summer. 

 

Andrew Lujan is another new player on the squad, joining the team locally from Biola University. Andrew is an infielder and is one of four lefty batters joining us this summer before his junior year. Andrew had a .245 batting average for Biola with 25 RBI’s and 6 home runs. 

 

The Shepherds begin their season on June 10th against the Ventura County Pirates. The game will be live streamed on the Shepherd’s twitch page which can be found at https://www.twitch.tv/socalshepherdsbaseball to stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShepherds),  Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball), and our new Tiktok (@Shepherdsbaseball). 

 

 

Sheps win barn burner 12-9

BOX SCORE

LA MIRADA, California- Lance Smith

The Shepherds had their final league game versus the Inland Valley Pirates on Monday evening. The two teams had played four games leading up to today with the Pirates winning three of four before today.

 Andrew Sutherland started on the bump and looked to give the Sheps a quality start after struggling in his last appearance. Sutherland unfortunately did not have his best stuff and the Pirates jumped on him scoring seven runs in the first four innings. Early, it looked like the Pirates would play spoiler in the Shepherds regular season finale. Luckily, the offense decided to have a day putting up twelve runs while the bullpen limited the Pirates to just two after the fourth inning.

 This was an encouraging end to an otherwise lack luster regular season as the Shepherds are able to go out with a good taste in their mouths

Teagan Disharoon picked up the win, Jackson LoBianco earned the save, and DJ Allen was tacked with the loss,

Notes

-       Jamie LaFramboise went 3-3 with a single, 2 doubles, and an RBI

-       Emry Jackson went 4-5 with 4 singles and 3 RBI’s

-       Connor Aldrich went 1-4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored

-       Jackson Van Ness went 1 for 3 witth an RBI single and 2 walks

-       Cade Katnik went 2-5 with a 2 run homerun and single

-       Team had 13 hits while hitting a season high hitting .351 on the game

-       Jake Washburn 1.2 no hit innings of relief

-       Jackson LoBianco threw 2 scoreless innings to earn his 3rd save of the season

What’s next

The Shepherds have an exhibition game versus the East La Dodgers on Wednesday, the 28th at 4:30 PST. The game will be played at Cerritos High School and live streamed on the Shepherds Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/socalfcabaseball/. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), and Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball).

Sheps unable to overcome pirates

BOX SCORE

LA MIRADA, California- Lance Smith

The Shepherds had another league game versus the Ventura County Pirates on Friday evening. The two teams had played four games leading up to today with the Pirates winning all four and looking to get the season sweep with a victory today.

 Andrew White started on the bump and looked to build off his last performance which was cut short by an injury. White did a great job of limiting the Pirates bats in the early part of the game only giving up one run in the first four innings. Unfortunately, White found himself in some trouble in the fifth inning and the Pirates capitalized with a four spot to take a 5-0 lead.

 The Sheps put up a couple runs in the seventh but were unable to climb out of the early hole and eventually fell 6-2. This game dashes any chance the Shepherds had at a playoff spot and ends their postseason hopes.

 Cole Dale (1-4) picked up the win and Andrew White (3-4) was tacked with the loss.

Notes

-       Kaiden Zacharias went 1-3 with an RBI single and HBP

-       Jake Lopez went 1 for 4 with an RBI single

-       Jamie Laframboise went 1 for 3 with a double and walk

-       Andrew Sutherland went 1 for 2 with a single and walk

-       Max Montplaisir pitched 1.0 perfect inning of relief

What’s next

The Shepherds have their final league game against the Inland Valley Pirates tomorrow at 4:30 PM PST. The game will be played at Whittier Christian High School and will be live streamed on the Shepherds Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/socalfcabaseball/. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), and Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball).

 

 

Sheps unable to win rubber match, lose to Bucs 9-2

BOX SCORE

LA MIRADA, California- Lance Smith

The Shepherds had another league game versus the Inland Valley Pirates on Friday evening. The two teams had split the series 2-2 before today’s game as both looked to win the rubber match. Roy Washburn started on the bump and looked to give extended innings and limit the Bucs bats.

 After giving up one run in the first inning, Washburn seemed to lock in putting up four consecutive scoreless innings. After that, the Bucs were able to scratch one across in both the sixth and seventh innings giving them a 3-1 lead before the Sheps scored one in the top of the eighth to get within one.

 Unfortunately for the Sheps, Washburn was unable to get any outs in the eigth before being pulled and the Bucs took advantage putting up a 6 spot and taking a seven-run lead. The win gets the Bucs within half a game of fourth place and a coveted playoff spot. The Sheps still control their own playoff destiny and are in if they win their last two regular season games.

 Caleb Bennett (2-1) picked up the win and Roy Washburn (2-4) was tacked with the loss.

Notes

-       Kaiden Zacharias went 2-4 with 2 singles

-       Emry Jackson got on base 3 of 4 plate appearances via 2 walks and a HBP

-       Simms Owens went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk

-       Cade Katnik went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk

What’s next

The Shepherds have another league game against the Inland Valley Pirates on Sunday at 11:00 AM PST. The game will be played at LA Valley College and will be live streamed on the Shepherds Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/socalfcabaseball/. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), and Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball).

Sheps Drop Second Straight to Pirates

BOX SCORE

LA MIRADA, California- Lance Smith

The Shepherds had another league game versus the Ventura County Pirates on Wednesday evening. The Pirates had won all three meetings before today and looked to stay undefeated against the Sheps.

 Emry Jackson started on the bump and looked good up until the fourth inning when the Pirates started to find a rhythm and were jumping all over Jackson putting up a six spot to take a 7-1 lead. The Shepherds offense showed signs of life putting up a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh but were unable to keep up with the Pirates offense giving up the seven runs in the last three innings.

 Aren Alvarez (1-0) picked up the win and Emry Jackson (0-2) was tacked with the loss.

 Notes

-       Simms Owens went 2-2 with 2 RBI singles getting on base all 5 PA

-       Jake Lopez went 1-4 with a single

-       Andrew Sutherland drew a walk and scored 1 run

-       Jackson LoBianco drew a walk and scored 1 run

-       Sheps drew 11 walks

Quote from Lance Smith

“You got to have a short memory after these types of games, while also remembering the good things that you did. We hit the ball hard at times, but it just didn’t drop and we have to continue that. I saw good energy from the dugout and we gotta keep that up even though the results may not be going our way.”

What’s next

The Shepherds have another league game against the Inland Valley Bucs Friday at 4:30 PM PST. The game will be played at Whittier Christian and will be live streamed on the Shepherds Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/socalfcabaseball/. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), and Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball).