Outlaws Close In On First Half Title With 3-2 Win Over Armada
Published on July 16, 2007 under Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release
CHICO, CA - For the umpteenth time this season - and the second time in as many days - the Chico Outlaws staged a late-inning rally and came away with a dramatic victory. Todd Gossage's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning plated Daniel Nava with the game-winner as the Outlaws came from behind to nip Long Beach 3-2 Sunday night at Nettleton Stadium, earning a split of their four-game series and clinching a tie for the Golden Baseball League's first half championship.
Chico, held to a total of three hits over the last two games, were stymied again Sunday through the first six innings - Long Beach starter Rich Fischer scattered just three hits through six innings, and though the Outlaws got runners to second base in the 1st, 4th and 5th innings, they never mounted a serious scoring threat. The Armada staked Fischer to an early lead, scoring twice in the 2nd inning off Chico starting pitcher Nick Singleton - Cole Cicatelli led off the frame with a double down the right field line, was sacrificed to third by Gabriel Mayorga and came home on a Kirk Gross single to put Long Beach on the board...Gross eventually scored on a two-out single by Chris Klemm to put the Armada up 2-0 after an inning-and-a-half.
Singleton settled down, though, and after giving up a one-out single to Jorge Araiza in the 4th, retired the next 11 Long Beach batters in succession. Fischer was taken out of the game by Armada manager Darrell Evans in the 7th inning, and the Outlaws began their comeback bid. Jason Van Meetren led off the 7th with a bloop double down the right field line off Long Beach reliever Dustin Gober, went to third on a Gossage single to center and scored on a Brock Ungricht sacrifice to cut the Armada lead in half. In the bottom of the 8th Chico took the lead for good - with one out, reliever Sean Buller walked Jesse Kovacs...then gave up a single to Scott Dragicevich. Daniel Nava shot a ground ball up the middle, but Araiza ranged from shortstop to glove the ball and flip it to Gross at second to force Dragicevich...but the throw to first to try to complete the double play eluded Jaime Martinez, allowing Kovacs to score the tying run and Nava to reach on the error. Nava went to third on a hit-and-run single to right by Van Meetren, setting the stage for Gossage, who blooped a 1-1 pitch into left field to knock in Nava and put Chico up 3-2. Outlaws closer Todd Gelatka came on in the 9th to try to close it out, but it wasn't easy - Long Beach got the potential tying and go-ahead runs on with one out, but Gelatka struck out pinch-hitter Jason Mooneyham and got John Kaplan to hit into a game-ending force play to give Chico the victory and series split.
John Jefferson (2-0) - the second of three Outlaws pitchers - got credit for the win, with Gelatka picking up his league-leading 11th save of the season...Buller (2-2) took the loss for the Armada. Each side has eight hits on the night - Gossage, Dragicevich and Van Meetren had two apiece to lead Chico, while Araiza went 2-for-3 to pace Long Beach. With Sunday's win the Outlaws improved to 24-12 on the year while the Armada fell to 22-14...with two games remaining in the first half, Chico's magic number for clinching the title (and an automatic GBL championship series bid) outright is now just one. The Outlaws will take Monday off before resuming action Tuesday in Reno with the first of four against the Silver Sox (the first two games in the series closing out the first half). Right-hander Tyler Pearson (3-2) will be on the mound for the Outlaws in the series opener; Reno is expected to starter righty James Johnson (0-2). Game time is 7:00pm...listen to all the action with "The Voice" of the Outlaws, Rory Miller, on SportsFan 101.7 FM ESPN Radio.
Golden Baseball League Stories from July 16, 2007
- Silver Sox, Roadrunners Cancelled Due to Wildfires - Reno Silver Sox
- Silver Sox Getting Ready For Second Half Run - Reno Silver Sox
- Upcoming Promotions - Reno Silver Sox
- Outlaws Close In On First Half Title With 3-2 Win Over Armada - Chico Outlaws
- Flyers' comeback falls just short - Orange County Flyers
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