Oakland Ballers pitcher Zach St Pierre got a quality start over the Grand Junction Jackalopes at Raimondi Park in West Oakland on Tue May 27, 2025
Grand Junction Jackalopes (1-6) 020 010 000 3 4 1
Oakland Ballers (4-3) 100 000 21x 4 8 1
Time: 2:17
Attendance: 1,311
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–In a tense battle, the Ballers crossed the .500 line this chilly Tuesday night by sneaking past the visiting Grand Junction Jackalopes by a score of 4-3 in a game filled with reversals of expectations and which hinged on the Pioneer League’s idiosyncratic and confusing challenge rule.
The Ballers drew first blood, when the ‘lopes’ starting pitcher, Joe Cuomo, walked Tremayne Cobb, Jr., who proceeded to pilfer second, advance to third on Davis Drewek’s single to left, and come home when Daniel Harris IV grounded out to short.
That was the last run the B’s managed to plate against Cuomo, who went on to post a line from his first to his 75th and final offering of one, earned, run on four hits and one walk, balanced by one strike out over 5-2/3 innings. He wound up with a no decision.
Oakland’s starter, Zach St Pierre, looked sharp in the first, but surrendered back to back homer to the first two batters he faced in the second, Mason Minzey and Robin Fernández. But St. Pierre recovered quickly and ended his six inning stint with a respectable three runs, all earned, on four hits, and one walk.
He, too, left the park with a no decision. Grand Junction’s third and final tally put them ahead, 3-2, in the top of the fifth, after Isaac Núñez led off with a double, moved on to third when Alex Pimentel sacrifice him and Zeb Roos, who’d been hit by a pitch, up a base, and then scored on Matt Piotrowski’s ground out to the hot corner.
It looked as if things might stay that way until the Ballers pulled even in home seventh. Tal Atkins had taken over for Cuomo to strike Drewek out to close down the hosts’ sixth. He got Harris to ground out to short and then surrendered a home run to designated pinch hitter Pat Monteith. (The DPH rule is another Pioneer League quirkinesss; it allows—under certain circumstances— the original batter to return to the game after the DPH has competed his plate appearance.
In this case that original batter was Christian Almaza). That brought Mark Schommer to the hill. He loaded the bases by allowing a single to Cam Buffard, walking Marques Titialii, and plunking Tyler Lozano. A single to short by Darryl Buggs brought the speedy Buffard home with the tying tally. Cobb almost broke the tie by unloading a smash a smash to third, but Fernández managed to field it and unleashed a throw that cut down Titialii at the plate.
Drewek led off the home eighth and with a full count was called out on strikes. He challenged the call, and it was reversed. Harris followed with an RBI double, and Oakland had a 4-3 lead. Schommer set the next three Ballers down in order, but Drewek’s decision to challenge home plate umpire Mike Blanchard’s call was the pivot that irremediably changed the course of events.
Connor Sullivan set the Jackalopes down in order in the ninth to earn the save, his first of the season. The win went to the newly acquired Caleb Franzen, whose one two three top of the eighth had made him the pitcher of record when the B’s pulled victory from the jaws of defeat.
It was, perhaps, the most exciting game of the Ballers’ young season. And it could not have happened in any in any other league.
What new surprises await us at 6:35 Wednesday, evening? Come on down to 1690 20th Street in West Oakland for the second of this six game series and find out.
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