FRESNO — After each team took a week off from game action following respective section championship runs, offense proved to be hard to come for the Turlock Christian and the Roosevelt high school varsity baseball teams last Tuesday.

It took all seven innings for a player to finally touch home plate in the opening game of the CIF Northern California Division V playoffs. And it wasn’t an Eagle.

Through six strong innings in which junior ace Cam Kelley had held opposing hitters to just five hits, the Rough Riders plated a run on the second hit of the inning with two outs to walk off Turlock Christian, this year’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII champion and regional No. 5 seed, by a 1-0 score.

Roosevelt, the No. 4 seed in the regional bracket after winning the Central Section’s Division VI title, began the rally with a one-out single by Xamuel Cerrato. Kelly proceeded to strikeout the next batter before David Meza slapped the game-winning single to left field.

Kelley navigated similar traffic in the second inning, when the Rough Riders recorded consecutive hits to lead off the frame. But the Eagles ace settled in, facing the minimum between the fourth and sixth innings.

Kelley and senior Jakobe Garcia each hit doubles, in the first and fourth innings, respectively. Aside from that, the Eagles only had two hits and never advanced a runner past second against Cerrato, also the Roosevelt ace. Cerrato struck out six and walked none in his complete game effort.

The Eagles end their dream season in which they collected the second section blue banner in school history and first Central California Athletic Alliance title since 2023 with an 18-4 overall record.