Outlaws Crush Scorpions 17-2, Earn Series Split

August 18, 2007 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release


YUMA, AZ - The Chico Outlaws enjoyed a record-setting day offensively, utilizing two big innings to cruise to a 17-2 win over the Yuma Scorpions Friday at Desert Sun Stadium...Chico earning a split in the four-game series and dealing a blow to Yuma's second half title hopes.

The game didn't start on a promising note for the Outlaws, as they left the bases loaded in the 1st inning. But Chico was not to be denied in the 3rd - Steve Boggs led off the frame with a base hit and scored two pitches later on a Jesse Kovacs triple. Craig Kuzmic's RBI groundout brought Kovacs home to make it 2-0...then following a walk to Daniel Nava and a base hit by Scott Dragicevich, Jason Van Meetren clubbed a ground-rule double to center to drive in a run and put Chico up 3-0. Todd Gossage delivered a base hit to center to plate both Dragicevich and Van Meetren...Jason Matteucci drove in Gossage with a triple to right and then scored on an Eric Pringle groundout, giving the Outlaws a 7-0 lead.

It was more of the same in the 4th as Chico sent 15 batters to the plate and scoring 10 times - Nava and Dragicevich set the tone with back-to-back solo homers to make the score 9-0...then after loading the bases, Boggs delivered an RBI single to drive home Gossage; Kovacs followed with a two-run single to plate Matteucci and Pringle to put the Outlaws up 12-0. Kuzmic followed with a single to right to bring in Boggs...then after Nava was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Dragicevich reached on an infield single that brought Kovacs home to up the Chico lead to 14-0. Van Meetren coaxed a bases-loaded walk to bring in another run...then Gossage capped off the scoring with a two-run single to plate Nava and Dragicevich and put the Outlaws up 17-0. Chico set a new single-game club record for hits in an inning (8) and tied team marks for runs in an inning (10) and most batters in an inning (15).

That was more than enough offensive for Outlaws starting pitcher Matt Campbell, who allowed just two runs through five innings of work. Jake McKinley tossed four shutout innings to finish off the Scorpions, but Chico had one more club record to set...in the 9th inning singles by Nava and Van Meetren gave the Outlaws 20 hits on the night - the most ever in a single game in Chico history.

Campbell (2-0) picked up the win, while McKinley earned his first save of the season...Yuma starter Steve Soja (6-4) allowed 12 earned runs in just three-and-two-thirds innings in suffering the loss. Seven different Outlaws starters had multi-hit games - Boggs went 4-for-6; Nava, Dragicevich and Gossage had three hits apiece; Kovacs, Van Meetren and Matteucci each had two. Friday's win upped Chico's second half record to 12-17 and overall mark to 37-30; Yuma dropped to 18-11 in the second half and 39-28 on the year...the Scorpions also fell four games behind first place Long Beach with just nine to play in the race for the Golden Baseball League's second half title and the right to play Chico in the GBL Championship Series. The Outlaws are in Reno Saturday to open a two-game mini-series with the Silver Sox...right-hander Nick Singleton (2-4) will be on the mound for Chico; Reno is expected to counter with righty Adam Harendza (0-3). Game time is 7:00pm; hear all the action with "The Voice" of the Outlaws, Rory Miller, beginning at 6:35pm on the internet or on SportsFan 101.7 FM ESPN Radio.



Golden Baseball League Stories from August 18, 2007


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