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Riverbank On Fire To Open Cal Ripken Tourney
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The 10-year-old Riverbank All-Star team seems to be having a tough time being a gracious host, rolling to victory in its first two contests of the Cal Ripken Baseball Tournament.

Riverbank opened tournament play with a huge win over near-by rival Oakdale to get things underway. Riverbank used strong pitching and timely hitting to outlast a determined Oakdale squad 15-8 in the first round.

Second round action put Riverbank up against an extremely talented Lodi squad, giving Riverbank their first stiff challenge in tournament play.

Riverbank did not shy away from the challenge, putting together one of their more impressive wins of the season during an extra-inning 14-13 thriller.

"It was a really good game," Riverbank coach Daren Martin said. "We played good ball the whole game and pushed across the winning run in the seventh inning."

The victory shoves Riverbank into the midst of the tournament's title hopes, something that the all-star squad would be honored to capture on their home diamond.

"It's almost yes and no," Martin said about the team's hopes to bring home the crown. "They enjoy coming out and having fun playing ball. If they come out and play solid "D" (defense) the wins will be there.