WOODLAND — You win some. You lose some.

When a baseball team plays a doubleheader, any coach will tell you it sits a lot better with the squad when the second half of the twinbill goes your way.

Such was the case on Tuesday as Yolo Post 77 coughed up an 8-2 hairball before recovering to vanquish visiting Humboldt, 11-4, in the nightcap.

A sizzling Clark Field — temperatures never dipped below 94 degrees for the afternoon outing — was the venue for what local American Legion coach Dave Ryan hopes will be a hint of postseason things to come, saying if his team keeps hitting, the upcoming postseason could be bright.

“The key for this team: If we start hitting, then we win. SFAW — ‘Score first and win,’ ” Ryan explained. “Jump on the other team. And that’s what we did in this (final) game. We controlled the other team. First game, they controlled us.”

Case in point: The visiting Eagles, members of District 5, came out with a vengeance in the nonleague opener.

With Humboldt (21-16) scoring three times in each of the second and third innings off of starter Kiki Gonzales, Yolo (16-15) didn’t make a peep until it was down 8-0.

An RBI single by Jake Miille drove home Andrew Fuentes with Post 77’s first tally in the fifth, then Fuentes’ second hit plated Colton Gunter an inning later.

But the second game featured the kind of offensive display that Ryan and Company have longed for …

Trailing 2-1 in the second, Yolo sent nine batters to the plate — scoring four runs.

Miille started the uprising by getting plunked by a Clinton Kane fastball. Ethan Chrisp and Daniel Henrickson followed with walks before Andrew Bolich’s first hit drove home Miille and tied the game. After Andy Snow flew out, Trey Golston (remember that name) walked for a lead that the locals would never relinquish.

Thomas Galart (Cosumnes River College) mashed a two-run, two-out single and suddenly it was 5-2.

Ryan changed pitchers for the third inning: out went starter Fuentes and in came Golston, two kids whose high schools (Pioneer and Davis, respectively) each won Sac-Joaquin Section titles this past spring.

Golston was greeted by three, two-out singles and suddenly Post 77’s advantage was down to one.

But the 17-year-old Golston settled in and Yolo exploded for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bolich and Snow singled before Golston walked to fill the bases with no outs.

Kane was replaced by Chance Tindall as the real fun began …

Walks to Gunter and Miille both plated runs, Gonzales hit an RBI single to left then Carlos Enriquez stroked another big two-out hit, this one scoring Miille, before Gonzalez scored on a passed ball.

In going five innings, it was Golston’s longest stint of the summer.

“(I) haven’t thrown that much in two years. It was fun,” explained Golston, who had arrived late for the first game, fresh from a family outing in Lake Tahoe. “My mom takes a while to pack. That’s why I was late for the first game, but I was ready for the second.”

No kidding …

The right-hander held Humboldt scoreless over the final four frames. Overall, he allowed six hits, fanned one and walked nobody.

Bolich (a DHS player), Enriquez, Gonzales and Galart each collected two hits as Post 77 had 10 safeties for the game, including Fuentes’ first-inning RBI double.

So now what? With two games left against Orland (Thursday on the road and Monday at Clark Field), does this American Legion group have enough gas in the tank to travel far in the Area 1 tournament (which starts July 23 in Fairfield)?

“I think we do,” Golston said. “We’re a great offensive team when we’re on and our pitching is great, when they are on. So, as long as we’re on, we’re going to be all right.”

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or 530-320-4456.

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