Stu Clary is the last person who should make any remarks about anyone’s hair. The Vacaville High baseball coach has not had any for so long that his comb filed for divorce years ago. Even though he should have known better, Clary could not resist an opportunity to compare hair on Wednesday.
Clary tried to ruffle catcher Dylan Ramage’s long locks by saying Laguna Creek’s David Romero had a better mane. Ramage did more than beg to differ. The sophomore let Clary and anybody else within earshot know that no one, especially an opposing player, can come close to rivaling his hair.
Ramage then tucked as much of his hair as he could into his catcher helmet and went to work behind the plate. Clary was not concerned one bit about starting Ramage even if the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff game was Ramage’s second since he returned from a fractured left wrist.
Another start could come Ramage’s way Friday when the Bulldogs travel to Carmichael to face top seed Jesuit at 4:30 p.m. Vacaville is the No. 8 seed and easily disposed of No. 9 Laguna Creek in a 12-2 victory Wednesday. Jesuit had nearly as easy of a time in eliminating No. 16 Armijo 11-4.
Jaiden Oldwin made easy work of the Cardinals, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five in five innings. Ramage did not have it as easy, however, because Clary said catching Oldwin is not as easy as it might seem. And this was after the right-hander issued just one walk.
“He’s so difficult to catch because he’s got movement on everything,” Clary said of Oldwin, who is 7-3 after winning for the fifth time in his past six starts. Clary would rather not be reminded of what happened in the April 22 start Oldwin did not win. Pulling Oldwin with a seemingly insurmountable five-run cushion backfired for the Bulldogs.
Rodriguez took advantage of Oldwin’s exit after 95 pitches by exploding for six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a dramatic 11-10 win. A 13-3 loss to the Mustangs two days later knocked the Bulldogs out of contention for a third consecutive Monticello Empire championship.
That explains why Clary had Oldwin go back to the mound in the fifth inning Wednesday with the Bulldogs leading 11-1. Vacaville scored five runs in the fourth to build a 10-run lead, so it is not as if Clary had much time to decide whether to stick with Oldwin or rush a reliever to the mound.
Clary said his decision would have been the same even if there had been more time to confer with his assistants. “We were not going to make that mistake again,” Clary said of assuming his team had the Rodriguez game in the bag. “We were going to roll with (Oldwin) as long as we could.”
The decision would have been more difficult for Clary if his team had built a sizable lead an inning or two earlier. Pulling Oldwin at 50 pitches would have made the senior available to pitch against Jesuit. Clary would love to have Olden as a security blanket Friday, but he was not taking any chances.
The same goes for asking Ramage to cut his hair, If long hair empowered Samson in days of yore, Clary figures his young catcher will be better off without cutting any of his hair off. Clary will never be Gene “Honk” Williams, the late Vacaville basketball coach who required his players to look like altar boys.
Clary is more envious than strict. “Why would I ask (Ramage) to do that? I’d kill to have that hair.”
