Saints overcome Vikings and wind for wild walkoff win

With winds gusting up to 30 MPH all afternoon, Mission College overcame both the weatherman and the West Valley Vikings for a 12-11 ten-inning victory Tuesday in Santa Clara. Amayas Lamar's one-out double to the left-centerfield fence drove in pinch-runner Gabriel Tapia with the winning run to set off a Saints dogpile celebration at second base and send the fans to the warmth of their cars.

The wind was a factor for both sides as any ball hit in the air was problematic and the major cause of nine combined errors. The Saints (8-6) took advantage of the first of West Valley errors after a Tevis Payne II RBI double that keyed a four-run Saints first.

The Vikings (3-8) put two runs across in the top of the fifth and then grabbed a 6-5 lead with four in the sixth. Mission took back the lead in the home half of the sixth on a Payne RBI double and a Jayce Dobie one-run single. The 7-6 lead was short-lived as WVC scored three in the top of the seventh for a 9-7 Viking advantage.

The Saints knotted it at 9-9 with a pair of runs in both the seventh and eighth innings, highlighted by Logan Stelling's solo homer to left-center in the eighth.

Two Viking runs in the ninth sent it into extra innings, setting the stage for Lamar's walk-off two-bagger in the bottom of the tenth.

Payne finished 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Stelling had the homer and a double. Dylan Unangst was 2-5 with two RBI, and Dobie was 3-5 with one RBI. Callum Olsen picked up the pitching win, giving up five hits and striking out a trio of Vikings in 3 2/3 innings of relief.

The Saints host Chabot (9-3) Friday (2/24). First pitch is slated for 2:00pm.