Outlaws Come From Behind To Beat Scorpions 8-5
August 26, 2008 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release
YUMA, AZ - The Chico Outlaws dealt a serious blow to the Yuma Scorpions playoff hopes Monday, wiping out a four-run deficit with seven unanswered runs to post an 8-5 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Desert Sun Stadium...the Outlaws winning their third straight while the Scorpions suffered their third loss in a row.
It was all Yuma early on, as the Scorpions took advantage of several Chico errors to build a 5-1 lead. While former major leaguer Mike Esposito set down the first nine Outlaws batters he faced, Yuma staked him to a lead in the bottom of the 3rd - Dionys Cesar led off the inning with a walk, went to second when Casey Garrison dropped Henry Calderon's fly ball to left, and scored when Chico catcher Matt Ceriani sailed the ball down the right field line trying to throw out Rich Janeway on a sacrifice bunt. Maikel Jova plated Calderon on a groundout to third and Janeway came home on a A.J. Valentine bouncer to second to put the Scorpions up 3-0. The Outlaws got on the board in the 4th inning when Dan Luyben scored from second on a two-out RBI single by Bryan Silverman...but in the 5th Yuma extended their lead when Calderon singled...Jova reached on an error by Eric Pringle...Chico starter Berek Fasking then balked the runners to second and third...and Valentine knocked them both in with a base hit to center to make the score 5-1.
Silverman struck again in the 6th inning, singling home Steve Boggs to cut the Scorpions lead to three. Yuma had a chance to score again in the 7th, but Jason Roach came in from the Outlaws bullpen and struck out Hector Bernal with the bases loaded to end the threat...that defensive stand fired up the Chico offense in the 8th inning, as Silverman blasted a two-run homer off Esposito and, following a Todd Gossage double, Casey Garrison lined reliever Jean-Carlos Guillen's first pitch over the left field wall to put Chico on top 6-5. The Outlaws dialed long distance again in the 9th - with Boggs at first, Julian Benavidez launched a Guillen fastball to left that cleared the outfield wall by nearly 100 feet...the massive two-run homer making the score 8-5. The Scorpions got the tying run to the plate with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th, but Chico reliever Todd Gelatka proceeded to strike out Valentine and Jose Rodriguez and got Bernal to pop out to third to end it and give Chico only its second victory over Yuma in 10 tries this season.
Roach (2-8) got credit for the victory, with Guillen (3-2) taking the loss. The Outlaws racked up 12 hits on the night, with Silverman going 4-for-5 and knocking in four runs; Benavidez, Boggs and Gossage chipped in with two hits apiece...the Scorpions had 10 hits in the losing effort, with Cesar and Calderon each going 2-for-4. Monday's win improved the Outlaws second half record to 16-23 and overall mark to 31-50, while the Scorpions dropped to 43-38 on the year and 19-19 in the second half...Yuma now trails Long Beach by three full games with six to play in the race for the South Division's second and final playoff spot. Game two of the series is set for Tuesday, with right-hander Eric Sheridan (3-3 for Chico, 4-5 overall) going for the Outlaws; the Scorpions will counter with righty Evan White (6-4). Game time is 7:05pm... hear all the action with Rory Miller calling the play-by-play on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM and AM 1340; the game can also be heard on-line at www.ChicoOutlawsBaseball.com.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from August 26, 2008
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- Outlaws Come From Behind To Beat Scorpions 8-5 - Chico Outlaws
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- Roadrunners Win in Reno - Reno Silver Sox
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