Hitters' paradise

This was too late to get into Sunday's edition, but Yolo Post 77 bashed its way to the Area 1 American Legion championship on Saturday at Chico's Doryland Field. Yolo overcame a 7-2 deficit in Game 1 to beat the Redding Stars 12-9 and then cracked El Dorado 10-6 for the championship.

Yolo (39-6), which did not lose in the tournament, advances to Saturday's California State Championships in Yountville.

Talk about a day? Sal Hernandez notched the save in the first game and the win in the nightcap. Former Blue Devil Scott Heinig was 4-for-9 combined, and current Devil Mike Turay was 2-for-6 with three RBIs against Redding.

For more on the games, check out Monday's Enterprise.

A close call

CHICO - As Yolo Post 77 tries to win the 2007 Area 1 tournament at Doryland Field, the players have to contend with tough opponents on the field as well as a scary incident during travel. Driving up to Chico on Tuesday, a car driven by an American Legion volunteer got into a collision with another car at the junction of Highways 113 and 99.

Luckily, no one in the Post 77 car was seriously injured, but two starters - Adrian Perez and Shawn Reynolds - were banged up and shaken as well. Perez, a shortstop, started and got plenty of work today during Yolo’s 13-6 win over the Redding Stars. Playing with a stiff neck that made it hard to get down on balls, Perez made a pair of errors in the early innings but more than made up for that when he blasted a two-run homer in the seventh.

Reynolds started at designated hitter and had more bad luck when he fouled a ball off of his knee in his first at-bat. He was hit by a pitch in his second plate appearance and after getting pegged again in the fourth inning, Reynolds was lifted for a pinch-runner.

Both players are expected to play Thursday as Post 77 plays its second game of the tournament. Yolo head coach Matt Castles said he thinks 24 hours of rest will do them good.

- Chris Saur

Early risers

Yolo Post 77 coaches better have Starbucks (or less-corporate coffee) handy when they open the Area 1 American Legion tournament Wednesday at Chico's Doryland Field. Yolo is pegged for a 10 a.m. start time against the Redding Stars (38-8-1) to open the tournament. Well-traveled Enterprise reporter Chris Saur will be on hand to write about Wednesday's game.

The team, comprised of players from Davis, Woodland and Pioneer high schools, blew through the District 6 tournament, beating Fair Oaks in the semifinals and championship to claim the title.

Yolo (34-6), which is trying to get to the state playoffs for the first time since 2003, would play at 4 p.m. Thursday against the winner of Red Bluff-El Dorado if it beats Redding. Of the eight teams in the tournament, Yolo has wins against three - Fair Oaks, El Dorado and Red Bluff - in the regular season. Only one other team in the tournament has single-digit losses, Vacaville (27-2).

Ace in the place

SACRAMENTO - Yolo Post 77 head coach Matt Castles was thrilled to have ace Scott Heinig on the hill Friday against Fair Oaks in the District 6 playoffs at Sacramento City College.

And Heinig did his part, helping pitch Yolo to a 7-2 win and into the Area 1 tournament in Chico. Yolo takes on the winner of Fair Oaks-Folsom at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday for the title, but Friday's victory loomed even larger. Heinig, the former Davis High star who played for Cosumnes River College last season, struck out 10 and Thomas Gojkovich finished it up in the ninth.

Heinig also doubled and drove in two, and Zach Vawter-Scroggins had two hits and two RBIs in the win.

Yolo improved to 33-6 overall.