Baeza posts a sublime 9-inning shutout in 8-0 Seals win
August 19, 2009 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Victoria Seals News Release
Victoria, BC - Opening their final homestand of the season, the Victoria Seals returned to Royal Athletic Park to take on the Orange County Flyers on Tuesday night. With the visitors sending Matt Durkin (9-3) to the hill, the Seals turned to Eduardo Baeza (3-9) in the series opener.
Working their way onto the board in the bottom of the first, the Seals capitalized on five consecutive walks to start the game from Durkin, grabbing a 2-0 lead on RBI free passes to Josh Arhart and Brian Rios. Then, with one out in the frame, Victoria made the score 3-0 when a ground ball off the bat of Gabriel Riley eluded Flyers first basemen Robert Fick, and stretched their lead to four runs with another RBI walk, this time to Bret LeVier.
With Baeza gaining momentum on the mound, the game turned into a pitcher's duel through the fourth inning as Durkin managed to recover from a 48-pitch opening frame. As the contest shifted to the bottom of the fifth, Victoria received a home run from Jamar Hill, his league-leading 18th of the season, to move out front 5-0.
Padding their advantage once more in the sixth inning, the Seals used a lead-off walk to Billy Krause to extend the lead to six on an RBI double from Wilver Perez. Then, after Hill was hit by a pitch from reliever Armando Carrasco, a sacrifice fly courtesy of Josh Arhart made it 7-0 before a double off the bat of Brian Rios capped of the Seals scoring.
Allowing only two base runners in the final two innings, Baeza returned to the mound for Victoria in the top of the ninth, and picked up back-to-back line-outs to notch the first complete game in Seals history, an 8-0 shutout win in game one.
Stranding 10 Orange County batters on the night, Baeza collects his fourth win on the year while Matt Durkin falls to 9-4 with the loss. Brian Rios finished 2-for-2 with an RBI for the Seals, while Hill also posted a strong outing at home plate, going 1-for-3 with the solo shot.
Victoria returns to action tomorrow night when they square off against the Flyers in game two of this series. Start time is 7:05 p.m. at Royal Athletic Park, with the series finale set for Thursday evening. Fans, don't forget to cash in your mini-pack tickets, or get your seats online now at www.selectyourtickets.com or over the phone via (250) 220-7777.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from August 19, 2009
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- Baeza posts a sublime 9-inning shutout in 8-0 Seals win - Victoria Seals
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