Blaze Bullpen Falters in 11-7 Stumbling
June 27, 2013 - California League (CalL1)
Bakersfield Blaze News Release
One of the most fantastic aspects of baseball is that a fan can see something new on any night, and on a particularly goofy Goodwill Wednesday at Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield, fans were treated to a few unique experiences. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the Bakersfield Blaze dropped the finale of a three-game series to the Lancaster Jethawks by the final score of 11-7.
How the game got to that final score is a story in and of itself.
After a scoreless 1st, the Jethawks got on the board in the 2nd, smacking back-to-back two-out homers off Blaze starter Jonathan Moscot (L, 1-11), including a Telvin Nash bomb that cleared the sunscreen in centerfield.
The score remained 2-0 in favor of the visitors into the 5th, when Chris Epps hooked a line drive into the catwalk in rightfield for another solo blast, putting Lancaster up 3-0.
In the bottom half, Cameron Lamb came on in relief of Jethawks spot-starter Thomas Shirley, and Lamb was greeted by three consecutive singles from Danny Vicioso, Josef Terry and Yovan Gonzalez, the final of which drove in two runs and cut the deficit to just 3-2.
The team traded zeroes in the 6th, and Moscot left the game down just a run.
A struggling Blaze bullpen, however, could not keep it close. Carlos Gonzalez entered in the 7th, and promptly allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and an error (including the second homer of the night for Tyler Heineman) to put the Jethawks ahead 6-2.
The Blaze, showing nice fight, put two on the board in the home half of the 7th, tagging Aaron West for three hits, and the team cut into the lead again, and ended the frame down just 6-4.
But, in the very next inning, Gonzalez returned to the hill, and ended up being responsible for four additional runs. Brooks Pinckard was called upon to try to settle things down, but Lancaster added a fifth run in the 8th, and the game got out of hand. In all, ten batters came to the dish in the frame, and Gonzalez ended the night responsible for seven runs in an inning-plus.
The "never-seen-before" continued, however, in the 9th, when Blaze designated hitter David Vidal was called upon to pitch. Sure, a position player on the mound is rare, but a position player on the mound making a lunging grab against the protective netting in foul territory is crazy. Vidal's scoreless 9th sent the game to the bottom half at 11-4.
The Blaze put some foundation on the final score with two singles and a Ryan Wright three-run homer, but Michael Dimock came on to finish the contest, and give the Jethawks a series sweep in Bakersfield with an 11-7 win.
The loss drops the Blaze to 1-6 on the just-completed homestand, and in the second half, and the team will head on the road for seven starting Thursday in Visalia. James Allen will take the ball and look to snap the slide, and Cody Wheeler will oppose him for the Rawhide.
Make sure to tune in to the action on the road every night, as Dan Besbris brings the call. First pitch against the Rawhide is set for 7:00pm, and the pregame show goes live at 6:55pm.
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California League Stories from June 27, 2013
- San Jose Giants Summer Camps at Municipal Stadium - San Jose Giants
- Visalia Rawhide Discover Curse, Aim to Reverse It - Visalia Rawhide
- Rawhide Salvage Finale as Ports Fall 6-2 - Stockton Ports
- San Jose Giants on Deck: Giants Continue Homestand with Four-Game Series against Stockton - San Jose Giants
- Blaze Bullpen Falters in 11-7 Stumbling - Bakersfield Blaze
- Long Balls Lead to Lancaster Sweep - Lancaster JetHawks
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