Jetner Welch blasted a walk-off, two-run home run to give Santa Barbara High baseball a 5-4 victory over Saugus on Tuesday at Eddie Mathews Field.
After a back-and-forth game throughout, the Dons went into the bottom of the seventh down 4-3. Max Weddle reached on an error to begin the inning, and Welch followed him with his towering blast to center field to clinch the win.
The first three innings went scoreless, and Santa Barbara High broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by James King and a run-scoring groundout off the bat of Tanner Wilson.
Saugus immediately responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, but the Dons tied the game up at 3-3 in the sixth on a fielder’s choice.
An RBI double gave Saugus the lead in the top of the seventh to set up Welch’s heroics in the bottom half.
Jack Paskin turned in a solid outing on the mound for the Dons, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out four in five innings. Emiliano Ramirez took over from there, allowing one unearned run and striking out five in the final two innings.
Welch, King and Ramirez tallied two hits apiece for the Santa Barbara High offense.
The Dons will continue non-league action against Chaminade on Wednesday.
Walnut 3, San Marcos 2
The Royals dropped a tight battle with Walnut in the Atascadero Tournament on Tuesday.
Isaac Corvera tossed four solid innings for San Marcos, while Miles Herbert handled the last three frames.
Offensively, Quinn Melton rapped out a pair of hits, while Grant Hoover, Patrick Foster, Titus Fernandez and Herbert had one hit apiece.
The Royals will continue the Atascadero Tournament against Lakewood on Wednesday.