Northern Colorado Owlz (21-14) 005 321 14 15 21 1
Oakland Ballers (19-16) 000 010 114 7 11 1
Time: 3:19
Attendance: 2,337
Saturday, June 29, 2024
By Lewis Rubman
WEST OAKLAND–There are three consolations for the 15-7 drubbing the Oakland Ballers suffered this warm and sunny Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Northern Colorado Owlz. The first is that it wasn’t as bad as the 15-1 demolition they had endured the previous night.
The second was that the Ballers’ bats finally came alive, too little and too late, but still alive in the B’s four run bottom of the ninth, in which they mixed a hit batter (Austin Davis), a single by Myles Jefferson, a Trevor Halsema double, and Dondrei Hubbard’s eighth home run in 35 games, to give what was a rout the appearance of just a lopsided loss.
This isn’t to say that the team’s offense had been completely moribund until the final frame. Three Ballers had multi hit games. Halsema went three for five; Halsema and Jaylen Smith, two for five. The third consolation, and perhaps the most helpful, was the two mediocre innings, the eighth and ninth, that Kelsie Whitmore pitched to preserve the tattered remnants of the Oakland bullpen to survive and fight another day, Sunday’s contest, in which the Ballers hope to even their six game series against the powerful Owlz.
The four runs, all earned, that she allowed in at the game’s end were more than those surrendered by any of Oakland’s two other relievers, Abraham De León and Jake Dahle. Only starter Aaron Eden, who allowed eight runs on a dozen hits, four of them for four bases, in 3-1/3 frames surrendered more tallies than Whitmore. Needless to say, Eden, now 2-3, 8.40, was charged with the loss.
Northern Colorado used three pitchers. Chase Jesse, their starter, was quite effective, gaining the win that put his record at 4-0, 3.48. He was on the mound for six innings and allowed only one run, which was earned, on five hits and three walks.
He threw 105 pitches, 62 of which fit the definition of strikes. Jason McCassey hurled a dodgy seventh frame and allowed a run, earned, on two hits, a hit batter, a walk, and a wild pitch. Halesma greeted Tyler Curtis with a homer over the left field fence in the eighth, but didn’t allow anything more that inning.
But the Owlz relifer fell apart in the ninth and ended up being charged with five runs, all earned, on as many hits, two of them long balls, and two walks in his two innings of work.
NoCo’s five runs in the third pretty much sealed Oakland’s doom. Dario Gómez’s three run homer was the big blow. He ended up going one for four. Dave Matthews and Jackson Coutts, who were on base at the time, finished the day at three for five and three for three, respectively. Evan Scavotto, who went five for six, was on second with a double when Euro Díaz (four for six) doubled him home. Díaz, in turn, scored on Garrett Kuebers single. You get the picture.
In my report on last Saturday’s Baller-Yolo High Wheelers game in Davis, I discussed JP Gates pitching in relief to two Yolo batters without retiring the side and then being replaced by Connor Richardson without any objection by the umpires or High Wheelers.
It caused quite a buzz in the press box. Tyler Peterson, the B’s sportscaster on 860 AM was especially animated, but no one in the press box, including the knowledgeable Doug Greenwald, had an explanation for this violation of the three batter or last out of the inning rule.
After this afternoon’s contest, I had a chance to talk with the Ballers’ manager, Micah Franklin. He had a very simple explanation for this puzzling event; that rule doesn’t exist in the Pioneer League. There’s a certain irony to this. A few days before I went to Davis to cover the game, I wrote to the league offices to ask how I could acquire their rule book. Their answer came after I’d returned to Oakland. They said the rule book wasn’t available to the public. Go figure.
1:05 is the game time for Sunday’s, chance for the B’s to even the series and remain serious contenders for a guaranteed place in the postseason.
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