Baseball: Windsor-Rancho Cotate game ends in double forfeit after mass ejections

Major drama unfolded in one of the final games of the North Bay League Oak baseball season on Friday as a potential league title-deciding showdown between Rancho Cotate and Windsor ended in a double forfeit after mass ejections for both teams.

According to several people in attendance, the incident at Windsor's home field began with a play at the plate in the bottom of the second which led to a confrontation between the baserunner from Windsor and the catcher from Rancho Cotate, the latter of whom was ejected.

Things escalated from there as the Windsor bench emptied onto the field, leading to a larger confrontation between both teams. Gary Frieders, the game's head umpire, confirmed to The Press Democrat in a phone interview later Friday that he ejected the entirety of both teams, resulting in the game being ruled a double forfeit.

Much is still unclear about the situation, specifically the length of likely suspensions for players who were ejected, which could carry potential season-ending ramifications for both teams.

Per California Interscholastic Federation rules, a player who is ejected from a contest for assaultive behavior/fighting or leaving the bench area will be ineligible for the school's next three contests.

Additionally, if one or more players leave the bench to begin or participate in an altercation, "the player(s) shall be ejected from the contest-in-question and become ineligible for three contests (nonleague, league, invitational tournament, postseason league, section or state playoff)."

The school, league or section can also use video to identify players who have left the bench area to begin or participate in an altercation.

The suspensions will not be official until Frieders files his game report.

Neither Windsor head coach Ryan England nor Rancho Cotate head coach Erik Tucker were immediately available for comment Friday.

Both teams were set to play in the NBL-Oak Tournament next week and continue on to the North Coast Section playoffs the week after. Their status in those events could in jeopardy depending on the amount and length of the suspensions.

The forfeit for Windsor creates even more drama in the league race. Windsor is now done with league play at 8-4, opening the door for Cardinal Newman to seize the league pennant. The Cardinals beat Maria Carrillo 18-1 on Friday to move to 8-3 and can win the league title outright with a win in Saturday's rematch with the Pumas.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 9:19 PM.