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Flyers Fall in Deciding Game 5; Cramer Called Up

September 13, 2010 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Orange County Flyers News Release


FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Orange County Flyers saw their playoff run end one game shy of the GBL Championship at the hands of Na Koa Ikaika Maui, suffering a 15-3 loss at Goodwin Field on Sunday night as Maui claimed the South Division crown. Maui defeated OC, 3-2, in the best-of-five series.

Maui hit four homeruns, including three off OC starter Manny Ayala (0-2) to chase him from the game in the fourth inning, and Na Koa's starting pitcher Donald Brandt (1-1) added to his own cause going 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI, including a solo homerun to lead off the third inning.

Gered Mochizuki put Maui on the board with a solo homerun with two outs in the first inning. Rex Rundgren began the fourth inning with a long fly, and Jermy Acey added his third post-season homer, going deep to lead off the seventh.

Brandt went seven inning, allowing three runs off nine hits with six strikeouts to pitch Maui into the Championship round.

The Flyers used six pitchers on the night, with the longest-tenured Flyers Andre Simpson and Matt Durkin proving most effective, combining for 3 and a third innings of work with no runs allowed.

Shortstop Tyler Keeble added to his Rookie of the Year campaign, leading OC going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Catcher Jim Goethals added a solo homerun in the seventh inning.

Na Koa will face the Outlaws in the GBL Championship starting Tuesday at Nettleton Stadium in Chico, Calif.

Former Flyers Pitcher Cramer to start for Oakland tonight

GBL All-Star pitcher is second OC player to reach Major Leagues

The Oakland Athletics have added former Orange County Flyers pitcher Bobby Cramer to the big league roster and he is set to start for the A's tonight, according to the GBL. Cramer, who helped pitch Orange County to the GBL Championship in 2008, was named a Golden Baseball League All-Star in 2008 and is the seventh former GBLer to make it to the bigs.

Cramer, 30, is a left handed pitcher who played in college at Fulleton College and Long Beach State. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 38th round of the 2001 draft, but arm problems led to elbow surgery in 2002. He signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2003 and played two seasons in their organization putting up very good numbers through High-A. Released after the 2004 season, he was out of basball in 2005 and 2006 and was a high school teacher in southern California.

Itching to return, he got his arm in shape and contacted Fullerton Flyers manager Garry Templeton of the Golden Baseball League. Templeton was impressed and ready to sign him, but a former Devil Rays and now Oakland A's scout, Craig Weissman, remembered Cramer from his Tampa Bay time and had a hole to fill for a lefthanded pitcher in the High-A California League. The A's signed Cramer and sent him right to Stockton where he was dominant going 4-1 in his first 8 starts and striking out 41 while only walking 10 and earning a mid-season promotion to Double A. They moved him to Midland in the Texas League where he continued to baffle hitters as he went 5-1 in seven starts with a 1.89 E.R.A. to finish the regular season and to earn a promotion to Triple A Sacramento for the playoffs.

He started Game 5 of the PCL Championship Series and was earmarked to be a key part of the starting rotation for the AAA River Cats in 2008. However, after pitching in Mexico in the winter he developed some shoulder soreness and the A's released him out of spring training. Joining the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League under new skipper Gary Carter, he proved that his arm was as durable as ever as he pitched 92 innings, posted a record of 7-4, was fourth in the league in E.R.A., and struck out 98 while only walking an astonishingly low total of 16. He also threw 5 complete games, something he had never done at the professional level before. He then went 2-0 in the playoffs as the Flyers won the 2008 GBL Championship.

This was more than enough to convince Oakland to reacquire the southpaw where he split time in High-A, AA, and AAA in 2009 and then was loaned by Oakland to the Mexican League this season before being brought to AAA Sacramento where he was 2-2 witha 1.94 E.R.A. before being called up. Cramer is the 7th Golden Baseball League player to make it to a major league roster this year, and the second member of the Orange County Flyers -- RHP Chris Jakubauskas, the 2006 GBL Pitcher of the Year being the other -- to advance to the major leagues.

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