Lucky Seven; Blaze Hold off Lake Elsinore, 8-3
Published on August 13, 2015 under California League (CalL1)
Bakersfield Blaze News Release
The bats stayed hot, the pitching held true, and the Bakersfield Blaze extended their season-long winning streak by grabbing the middle game of a three-game road set in Lake Elsinore, 8-3, on Wednesday night.
Once again, the offense paved the way, posting runs in three of the first four innings, beginning with a two-spot in the 1st and ending with four in the 4th.
In the top of the 1st, Nelson Ward singled (one of three hits on the night) and Tim Lopes followed with a triple to plate him (one of three knocks for Lopes, as well). O'Neill followed with a grounder to score Lopes for the 2-0 lead.
Two innings later, Ward was on the other end of the scoring, banging a liner off the wall in right to bring in Aaron Barbosa for the three-run edge.
And in the 4th, the Blaze got some breathing room. A key error began the inning, and with two outs, four straight Blaze reached base, with Ward's two-run single and Lopes' second RBI knock the key strokes in the inning. And voila ... 7-0 Bako.
The Blaze scored their final run in the 6th on three straight two-out singles from Lopes, O'Neill and Austin Wilson.
Meanwhile, Scott DeCecco (W, 1-1) continued the fine work he began in his last outing, going 6.0 innings tonight while allowing just one run on three hits to secure the win, and Rafael Pineda (S, 7) got the elusive three-inning save, allowing a couple of runs while pumping the zone with strikes.
The victory marks seven in a row for the Blaze, and also 10 of 11 wins for a team that had hit the 30-games-under-500 mark before catching fire.
The series in Lake Elsinore concludes on Thursday evening in a 7:00pm start, though, the road trip for Bakersfield will continue through Modesto through the weekend.
In Thursday night's affair, Dan Altavilla takes the hill for the Blaze in a chance to lead the team to a sweep, or what could be the second sweep in a row. Fans can tune in to listen to every moment of live play-by-play online at BakersfieldBlaze.com and via the TuneIn Radio app. Dan Besbris has the call.
California League Stories from August 13, 2015
- Villalona's Ninth-Inning Hit Lifts Giants to 4-3 Win - San Jose Giants
- Tim Hudson Scheduled to Make Rehab Start Friday with San Jose Giants - San Jose Giants
- Mavs Sweep Quakes in Doubleheader on Wednesday - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- Missed Scoring Chances Force Rubber Game - Lancaster JetHawks
- Offensive Woes Continue in 6-0 Shutout Loss - San Jose Giants
- Late Lead Slips Away in 4-2 Loss - Modesto Nuts
- Late Runs Lift Ports to Fourth Straight Win - Stockton Ports
- Lucky Seven; Blaze Hold off Lake Elsinore, 8-3 - Bakersfield Blaze
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