The Oakland Ballers scored twice in the eighth and three times in the ninth to cash in late in the game to defeat the Grand Junction Jackalopes Sun Jun 1, 2025 at Raimondi Park in West Oakland (Oakland Ballers photo)

Grand Junction Jackalopes (3-9) 000 310 200 6 12 5

Oakland Ballers (7-5) 130 000 23x 9 12 0

Time: 2:29

Attendance: 2,367

Sunday, June 1, 2025

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–It’s been said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Last Sunday’s 9-6 Ballers triumph over the Jackalopes bore many resemblances to last evening’s 12-10 defeat at the hands of the visitors.

Both games featured an eighth inning, come from behind rally by the B’s. There was, of course, a noticeable difference; in the second of the two games, the sixth and final encounter of the series, the hometown team didn’t just turn a rout into a nail biter; it converted an impending loss into a well earned victory.

There was no fire visible from the stands today, but the scoreboard’s malfunctioning gave an encore performance. The Jackalopes once more committed five errors while the B’s defence, although not flawless, wasn’t charged with any errors.

For something new and completely different, second baseman Nick Leehey, fresh from his graduation from UC Davis, signed with the Ballers and made his professional debut. He fielded well but went 0-4 with three strikeouts, all swinging.

Each team used five pitchers. Right hander Zach St. Pierre started for Oakland and lasted four innings, during which he threw 66 pitches to 20 batters and yielded three runs, all of them earned, on seven hits and two walks while fanning two.

He was followed by Caleb Franzen (three runs, all earned), three hits and a walk, a pitch count of 34 in 2-1/3 innings; Connor Richardon made a cameo appearance of 2/3 of an inning and wasn’t charged with any runs, but the last two runs attributed to Franzen were one that Richardson had inherited from Franzen to score. Brody Eglite threw a 13 pitch perfect eighth to earn the win and now is 1-0). Connor Sullivan notched his mowed the Jackaloopes down, one, two, three in top of the ninth to earn his third save of 2025.

Oakland opened the scoring in a scrappy but not particularly confidence inspiring way. Tremayne Cobb, still struggling to regain his mojo at the plate—although I can’t think of a player who wouldn’t want to have his post game BA of .404—drew a leadoff walk.

The Jacks’ third baseman, Robin Fernández, committed an error that allowed the next batter, Pat Monteith, to take first while Cobb moved up 90 feet, into scoring position. A full count walk to Davis Drewek made the basepaths FOB (Full of B’s), to put new wine into the old bottle of Red Barber’s way of categorizing three on base Brooklyn Dodgers.

Cam Bufford hit into a 6-4-3 double play, plating Cobb, and the Ballers went ahead, 1-0, without recording a hit or run batted in.

They added another three runs to their lead in the next episode. Consecutive singles by Tyler Lozano, Daryll Bogs II, and Cobb clogged the basepaths. Monteith blooped a Texas League single to right that drove in Buggs and Lozano and advanced Cobb to third. Cobb came home when Drewek, the next B to come to the plate, singled to left.

In their half of the fourth, Grand Junction removed any complacency the Ballers and their fans might have begun to harbor. The Jackalopes cut their deficit by three runs on an RBI single by Isaac Núñez, a bases loaded walk to Luis Hernández, and a sacrifice fly to center by Zeb Roos in the next inning, they completely wiped out Oakland’s lead. Evan Scavotto doubled with two down and scored on Mason Minzey’s single to right against Caleb Franzen, who had relieved St. Pierre at the start of the frame.

Franzen kept the visitors off the board until the top of the seventh. With one away, he walked Kendall Foster, who reached third on a single to right by Robin Fernández. Exit Franzen, enter Conner Richardson. Scavotto singled to left, and Minzey’s doubled to the same field. Both runs were charged to Franzen. More important, Grand Junction now was ahead, 6-4.

Evan Massie had started for the Jacks and pitched decently. With his team’s resurgence, he stood to be the winning pitcher. He should have stood in bed. (Thank you, Dizzy Dean). Aydan Alger lasted 2/3 of an inning and coughed up the lead thanks to singles by Monteith and Drewek and a two out single by Dannie Harris IV that caused Alger to get the hook. Another single by Christian Almanza, this one off Tai Atkins, and Oakland was back on top, this time to stay.

A trio of Jackalopes hit for extra bases; Zeb Roos, Evan Scavotto, and Mason Minzey connected for a two bagger apiece. None of the Ballers had an extra base hit, but four of them had a multihit afternoon. Monteith, Drewek, and Buggs formed the trio each member of which contributed a pair of safeties; Harris went three for five and drove in three runs.

The win left Oakland tied with three other teams for fourth place in the overall Pioneer Baseball League standings. The team is scheduled to fly Monday morning at 8:00 o’clock to Portland. They’ll bus from there to Flathead County, MT, where they’ll take on the GlacierRange Riders, of the teams with whom they’re deadlocked for a six game series.

Next on the itinerary are three mid-week games against the Missoula Paddleheads. Then, it’s on to Ogden to battle the Raptors on Friday the 13th through Sunday the 16th. After a brief day of rest, they’ll return, as Al Jolson predicted, weary at heart, back where they started from, back in their own back yard to duke it out once more in a six game set-to with Grand Junction.