The Wrong Deja Vu; Blaze Lose 3-1 Again
August 19, 2015 - California League (CalL1)
Bakersfield Blaze News Release
Two nights, two final scores of 3-1, and twice the Bakersfield Blaze found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger, dropping a Tuesday evening contest at Sam Lynn Ballpark to the visiting Lake Elsinore Storm.
The ballgame was, as the score might indicate, awfully similar to the previous evening.
For the second evening in a row, the Blaze did a good job of working the count in their at-bats, but simply could not get the hits to drop, collecting a total of six in the ballgame. Four of those six hits came from two players (Justin Seager and Tim Lopes), and Nelson Ward got into the mix with a pair of walks. And for the second evening in a row, one key inning pushed the visitors in front and the teams finished with a host of zeroes on the scoreboard.
Dan Altavilla (L, 6-10) got off to a marvelous start, retiring the first seven Storm batters in a row before allowing a run on a pair of one-out hits in the 3rd to put Bakersfield in a 1-0 hole.
But the Blaze erased it almost immediately when Justin Seager mashed his first homer of the year, a line drive shot over the left field fence, knotting the game at one run apiece.
After a brief 4th inning, the Storm took the lead in the 5th. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and though Altavilla got a big one-out strikeout, Marcus Davis knocked in two runs on a double, pushing the Storm out in front 3-1.
Altavilla finished after five innings, and Rafael Pineda and Grady Wood combined to retire 12 of the final 13 Storm batters to keep the contest close. It was, however, for naught on this eve.
The Blaze had few chances against Storm starter Kyle Lloyd (W, 6-8), a big righthander with a great changeup that kept Bakersfield off balance throughout the night. Lloyd ended up going 7.0 innings and allowing just Seager's solo homer, striking out eight, and Kyle Bartsch and Eric Yardley (S, 16) finished the contest with a scoreless inning apiece.
The homestand concludes in another 7:15pm start time on Wednesday evening, as the Blaze and Storm finish up the short three-game set with Tyler Pike opposing Michael Kelly. Gates open at 6:15pm and any fans bringing electronic waste to the park to donate can get in free thanks to Alianza Recycling.
Fans that can't attend can tune in to every moment live online at BakersfieldBlaze.com and via the TuneIn Radio app. Dan Besbris has the call.
• Discuss this story on the California League message board...
California League Stories from August 19, 2015
- Playoff Tickets on Sale this Friday - Lancaster JetHawks
- JetHawks Big Inning Downs Sixers - Inland Empire 66ers
- Johnson, Carbonell Propel Giants to 3-0 Victory - San Jose Giants
- Giants Even Series, Shut out Ports 3-0 - Stockton Ports
- Five-Game Winning Streak Stopped by Mavs - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Four Homers Crack Nuts in 6-4 Loss - Modesto Nuts
- The Wrong Deja Vu; Blaze Lose 3-1 Again - Bakersfield Blaze
- Six-Run Fourth Propels 'Hawks Victory - Lancaster JetHawks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
