Mission Accomplished; Oilers Walkoff On Panthers In Extra Innings Thriller
Dane Cunningham wallops the game-winning hit, securing the Oilers second win of the 2026 Boras Baseball Classic
The Huntington Beach Oilers (13-3-1) complete their first walkoff win of the regular season on the third day of the 2026 Boras Baseball Classic, defeating the Corona Panthers (12-3) 2-1 in extra innings. This is the second consecutive day Huntington Beach rallied after the opposition scored in the first inning, along with defeating Corona for the first time since March 10, 2010.
Another pitching duel broke out with only minor blemishes from each side as Jared Marchbank battled Mason Sims. Corona scratched right off the bat in the first as Danny DeLaTorre ripped an RBI double to center field, scoring Trey Ebel. Ebel would finish the game going 4-for-4 with two doubles and two singles.
In the third, the Oilers finally strung together multiple hits in an inning as Jared Grindlinger and Ely Mason roped a pair of singles to place two on with two outs. Owen Bone provided the tying-run producing hit with an off the end of the bat flare single, dropping past the shortstop Ebel who attempted to make the over the shoulder grab. This is Bone's 10th RBI of the season to match a season-high hitting streak at four.
From this point on, pitching and defense were the ultimate story. Reliever Benny Breese was first out of the bullpen and tossed a season-high three shutout innings with three strikeouts. The biggest moment in his performance occurred in the fifth with two runners in scoring position as Dylan Saucedo flew out to Mason in center, but Ebel was thrown out trying to advance to third, wiping off the would-be sacrifice fly before Anthony Murphy could tag home plate. Defensively, shortstop Jason Dunham collected six putouts while also helping turn a 4-6-3 inning ending double play in the top of the eighth.
At a 1-1 stalemate, Mason reached safely yet again with one out in the eighth, completing his first four-hit game of the season and providing Dane Cunningham with an opportunity like no other. The senior first baseman blasted a 1-2 breaking ball off of Murphy, clipping the top of the wall in left and ricocheting past the defense. With no throw home, the Oilers complete not only the come-from-behind victory, but also their first walkoff win this year.
With today's win, Huntington Beach picked up their first win of the season in extra innings and when tied in the fifth inning of later. Also, the Oilers finally broke the curse and defeated the Corona Panthers for the first time in manager Benji Medure's 26-year career. They also advance to the final day of the Boras Baseball Classic with a chance to finish with three wins in four days.
Oilers Scoring Plays:
Bot 3: Owen Bone Singles to LF, Jared Grindlinger Scores (1-1 TIE)
Bot 8: Dane Cunningham Doubles to LF, Ely Mason Scores (2-1 HB)
Stars of the Game:
Ely Mason: 4-4, R
Dane Cunningham: RBI Double
Owen Bone: 1-3, RBI
Jared Marchbank: 4 IP, 1 ER, 4 K
Benny Breese: 3 IP, 0 ER, 3 K
Steel Kurtz: 1 IP, 0 ER
The Oilers will wrap up their 2026 Boras Baseball Classic experience tomorrow night (April 10) at 6:00 PM versus the Patrick Henry Patriots from JSerra Catholic High School. You'll be able to listen to all the action during this four-day tournament on hbhsathletics.mixlr.com with the "Voice of the Oilers" Dominick Lorenz. Friday's game will begin with the pregame show approximately at 5:45 PM, followed by first pitch at 6:00 PM (projected times).
