Canseco, Sur Dawgs top Outlaws
July 4, 2006 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release
Nettleton Stadium had an aura emanating all throughout it Monday night, with the Golden Baseball League debut of Jose Canseco and fireworks drawing a stadium-record 4,501 spectators. Oh, and they played a baseball game too.
The San Diego Surf Dawgs won that ballgame 4-3 and salvaged a split from the completed four-game series. After winning seven straight, the Outlaws have lost two in a row to fall to 17-14. San Diego remains in last place at 11-20.
The biggest story of the night was Canseco's return to professional baseball, though fans expecting to see the former American League Most Valuable Player put a ball in play were undoubtedly disappointed. Canseco went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and he was hit by a pitch. He faced Outlaws starter Nick Singleton in each of his plate appearances.
Singleton took the loss for Chico after hurling seven innings and striking out five. He gave up eight hits and four earned runs to the Surf Dawgs. San Diego starter Steve Smyth won in his first start of the season with 7 1/3 innings of three-hit ball. He struck out six Outlaws hitters and gave up three runs.
San Diego opened the scoring in the second inning when Victor Roldan plated Richard Quihuis-Bell with a single down the right field line. The visitors tacked on two more for a 3-0 lead in the third inning on Scott Goodman's two-run homer to right. Craig Kuzmic's fourth-inning solo home run moved Chico closer to the lead but San Diego answered right back in the fifth with a single run on Quihuis-Bell's sacrifice fly.
With Smyth still in the game, the Outlaws had a chance to seize the lead in the eighth inning. Jason Matteucci knocked in Jesse Kovacs with a single and Desi Wilson plated Matteucci with a single of his own to cut the San Diego advantage to 4-3. Smyth gave way to E.J. Shanks and later in the inning the Outlaws had the bases loaded with one out with a chance to take the lead.
The next batter, Jason Van Meetren, smashed a grounder to third baseman Roldan, who dove, caught the ball, tapped the third base bag and rifled a throw to first in time to complete the inning-ending double play. Josh Rummonds gave up a leadoff single to Todd Gossage in the ninth but did not yield the tying run. He recorded his fifth save of the season.
Chico travels to Fullerton for a 4th of July showdown with the Flyers while the Surf Dawgs will go to Reno to take on the Silver Sox. The Outlaws will return home Tuesday July, 11 to face the same San Diego Surf Dawgs in a three-game set.
Golden Baseball League Stories from July 4, 2006
- Three in a row for Surf Dawgs - San Diego Surf Dawgs
- Sugarman completes victory - Orange County Flyers
- Two In A Row For Surf Dawgs as Canseco makes debut - San Diego Surf Dawgs
- Canseco, Sur Dawgs top Outlaws - Chico Outlaws
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