SARATOGA -- It's a small sample size, but against their toughest opponent, the Vikings played arguably their best all-around game of the season.

Taking on the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs, the Vikings (3-0) had to fight from behind on the scoreboard two separate times to take down a Bear Cub (1-2) team that lost just three games all last season. West Valley picked up its third win of the year against a Big 8 team, defeating SRJC, 6-4.

"Going into today," said head coach Bobby Hill, "we knew it was going to be a battle. We have to do all of the little things right to beat a team like Santa Rosa. They're always well-respected in our eyes, always going to be there at the end of the year, just a well-coached team. We knew we were going to have to pitch it and have timely hitting. In these games, we're not going to have 12, 13 hits and 13, 14 runs against a team like Santa Rosa with their pitching staff. We know we would have to throw strikes, take care of the baseball on the defensive side, get some guys on base and have some timely hitting."

Sophomore Sebastian Buller took the bump for West Valley. He showed composure in the first inning when SRJC outfielder Cooper Wood led off with a walk and moved to third on a steal and a groundout. Buller calmly struck out Trevor Schlafer looking before getting Brett Neidlinger and JT Summers to ground out to end the inning.

West Valley couldn't get anything going early on, with sophomore Parker Kristall providing the Vikings' only hit the first trip through the lineup against lefty Zach Fiene. Kristall fought from behind in the count and ripped a 1-2 fastball the other way for a base hit. It's a continued theme for the Wabash Valley College transfer, who hit four balls to right-center in his season debut, all with some oomph behind them.

"We're just trying to use the whole field," said Kristall, "use the big part of the field. If we get a little late, we can poke it the other way, and we can pull it if we're early. But we're trying to do damage wherever we can."

Santa Rosa struck first in the third inning. Vero Poueu reached on a walk before RJ Johnson reached on a fielder's choice when Viking second baseman Kenji Colston's throw on a potential double play ball pulled West Valley first baseman Jordan Montez off the bag. Wood followed with a walk and Neidlinger's high fly ball plunked in front of West Valley right fielder Joey Damelio's glove to push the Bear Cubs up 1-0.

They would add on in the fourth as switch-hitter Anane Wilson clobbered a ball over the high left field fence for his, and the Bear Cubs, first home run of the season.

Overall, Buller was solid in his first start of the season, going four innings of two-run ball while striking out one batter.

"Composure," Hill said of his sophomore righty's performance. "Sebastian hit a couple of guys where the ball got away, but his ball moves so much. Just being a sophomore. He just committed to USF a couple of days ago. I'm extremely happy for and proud of him, and it showed today out there, because his composure took over out there when things didn't go his way. He didn't panic. He just made his pitches, let his defense work behind him, and that's all he did."

On the other end, West Valley couldn't muster any offense against Fiene, as he finished his day with four shutout innings with just two hits and three strikeouts.

Montez led off the fifth inning against Cody Collins making his collegiate debut. The first two pitches he threw sizzled into the strike zone, with Montez whiffing through the second to put him behind 0-2. He battled the count to 2-2 before launching a ball to left that chopped the deficit in half.

Designated hitter Max Ghiglieri followed with a single before Colston and catcher Anthony Rael walked to bring up Eric Altmark in a one-run game with the bases loaded. Altmark grounded into a would-be double play ball in which the return throw to Poueu sailed wide of the bag to push the Vikings' lead to one.

"I'm still looking for the pieces," said Hill. "Still trying to find out what's going to be the best lineup for us, what lineup is going to click, what guys are goingt o click behind each other or in front of each other. It's still piecing this team together early. It's hard when you play teams like American River, Santa Rosa and Modesto tomorrow. It's good that we're going up against teams like that, but going into today, there's not a lot of expectations for us except to play clean and minimize our mistakes. If we do that, we've got a chance to win a ballgame. And we were there, neck and neck until the last pitch."

Back on the pitching side, Tre LaGrone III came in for his second appearance of the season and dazzled, striking out the side in order in his fifth inning before striking out three in the sixth. Nursing a one-run lead in the sixth, he allowed a solo home run to third baseman Caze Derammelaere and exited the frame tied 3-3.

Two hit batters, an error and a weird 1-2-3 putout put Santa Rosa ahead in the seventh.

With the score still 4-3 Santa Rosa in the bottom of the eighth, David Estrada took a one-out walk before Joey Damelio roped a ball into the left field corner to put two runners in scoring position for Kristall. He sat on a 1-0 hanger and pulled one over the left field fence to push the Vikings ahead.

"Just trying to stay level. First at-bat is as important as the last, just staying in the same spot in a place of confidence," said Kristall. "The focus has just always been on being the best that I can be. Trying to see what I can do, trying to push my limits. When I do that, I can open up, the sky is the limit."

West Valley finished last season 0-11 when trailing after seven innings. Their last victory when trailing after seven was the legendary nine-run comeback against Folsom Lake to send the Vikings to the 3C2A NorCal Regional Final in 2024.

"I've known Parker for a while," said Hill. "I knew what kind of player he was. I knew what kind of edge he has. I knew once he started to get comfortable, good things could start happening. You're starting to see him now get comfortable on both ends. The defensive side and the pitching, and then on the offensive end. He's a good player, man, he's a really good player."

Kristall, who dominated in Saturday's win on the mound with five strikeouts in two innings, seems to have that flair for the dramatic locked down. And he's not afraid to show it. On a young, new team searching for a spark plug, Kristall has been the energizer bunny through three games.

"Showing my energy allows the guys to show theirs," said Kristall. "It gives them confidence to show theirs, and I feel like we're all flying on the same plane. It's the same energy all around."

LeGrone III closed the game out in the ninth, getting Summers, the reigning Big 8 Player of the Year, to pop out before a sac bunt and hitting Sebastiani and Derammelaere. But pinch hitter Will Tokar nubbed one to third, and Estrada's footrace with Sebastiani ended the same way the game did: with a Vikings win.

West Valley plays in the Coast-South conference, but its early-season schedule is reminiscent of that of a Big 8 team: after three games against American River and Modesto, the Vikings are back in action tomorrow to take on Modesto JC, with first pitch scheduled at 1 PM.