Outlaws' Score Three in Ninth for 9-8 Victory

September 3, 2010 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release


(Chico, CA. September 3rd, 2010) The Chico Outlaws scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to squeak out a 9-8 win over Calgary in the final game of a three game series at Nettleton Stadium on Thursday night.

The Outlaws (23-17 second half; 55-30 overall), playing in their final game of the regular season, delighted the home crowd in the ninth when center fielder Blake Gailen's base hit into left field scored Anthony Manuel from second base, giving Chico the win in their final at-bat for the third time this season.

Garret Holleran started for the Outlaws in search of his 10th win of the season and lasted into the sixth inning before giving way to the bullpen. Holleran threw 84 pitches in five and a third innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits. He also struck out six Vipers, but took a no-decision in the contest.

Dusty Gober made his league-leading 19th start of the year for Calgary, but also ended up with a no-decision after he went five and a third innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.

Managers Morgan Burkhart of the Vipers and Garry Templeton of the Outlaws wasted no time in turning to the bullpen in a game that had a definite playoff feel to it.

Chico got a run in the first on John Urick's RBI single to right field that scored Bobby Hill, who earlier walked, making it a 1-0 game.

The Vipers' struck back in the top of the second on GBL All-Star Drew Miller's two-run blast over the left field wall, his 19th of the year, putting the Snakes up 2-1.

Calgary plated two more runs in the sixth frame on four consecutive base hits off Holleran, driving him out of the game. Josh Dew was summoned out of the bullpen, getting the final out of the inning on a double-play ball.

Third baseman Santo DeLeon responded for the Outlaws in the bottom of the sixth when he led off the inning with his ninth homerun of the year. One batter later, Manuel was hit by a pitch by Gober, forcing Burkhart to go the pen for Daniel Morari. Pinch-hitter Mark Samuelson greeted Morari with a double to drive in Manuel. After a groundout by Gailen for the frame's second out, former big leaguer Bobby Hill's double brought pinch-runner Kris Honel in from third base, tying the game at four each.

Rusty Jones came in to pitch the seventh for the Outlaws and gave up three straight singles and committed a throwing error to allow one run to score before being lifted for Justin Segal. Johnny Kaplan's RBI single off Segal brought in a second run, followed by shortstop Jorge Meija's RBI single to cash in Guillero Reyes, making it 7-4 Vipers. One more run would cross home on a Santo DeLeon error when he dropped a pop up off the bat of cleanup hitter Julio Ramirez, giving Calgary a four run lead.

Manuel stayed in the thick of things in the eighth with a single to start the inning. After a one-out walk to Gailen. Hill grounded out for the second out. Left fielder JJ Sherrill then singled to drive in Manuel and forced a throwing error by second baseman Kevin Price, which allowed Gailen to score, cutting the lead to 8-6 Calgary.

The ninth inning comeback started with DeLeon's double with one out off Vipers' closer Claudio Galvia (2-4), a former Triple-A prospect of the Oakland A's. Catcher Robby Alcombrack hit a changeup out of the park, his tenth homer of the year, to tie the game at eight each and put the Nettleton Stadium crowd into a frenzy. Chico's next hitter was Manuel, who promptly doubled to keep the crowd in it. After a popup to shortstop by pinch-hitter Pascual Del Real for the inning's second out, Gailen came through with his 30th RBI of the season and provided a highlight reel finish to the Outlaws 2010 regular season.

Demetrius Banks (10-3) picked up the win in relief for Chico, pitching the ninth inning.

Calgary drops to 26-15 with the loss and is 2.5 games up on Victoria with three games left to play for the Vipers. Victoria has four games left against Edmonton.

The Outlaws will next play at Nettleton Stadium on Tuesday in the first game of the GBL Playoffs. Game time is 7:05 pm. Game two of the playoffs will be on Wednesday at the Nett, another 7:05 pm start.

The Outlaws were originally scheduled to host Game 3 on Friday, September 10th and then the next two games if necessary. However, due to travel logistics issues and the likelihood the series will be played against the Calgary Vipers, both teams agreed to open the playoffs in Chico, giving Chico fans a guarantee of at least two home playoff games for the first time since 2007. Calgary is currently 3.5 games ahead of Victoria with five games to play and in Chico and Yuma to end the season.

Thursday September 9th will be a travel day for both teams and game three of the playoff series will be played on Friday September 10th in Calgary. Games four and five (if necessary) will be played September 11th-12th in Calgary as needed.

Fans who have purchased tickets for the weekend playoff dates can exchange their tickets at the Outlaws main office located at 313 Walnut Street, Suite 110 in Chico or at the box office on the day of a game. Fans can exchange their tickets for either of the two home playoff dates and can also exchange tickets during the GBL Championship Series if the Outlaws advance. You can also purchase tickets by calling the office at 345-3210 or going online at www.chicooutlaws.com.

The games will be broadcast live on the Outlaws Baseball Network and fans can catch all the action with Dan Hawkins starting at 6:50 pm. Watch live on www.justin.tv.com/chicooutlawsbaseball or audio only at www.chicooutlaws.com.

OUTLAWS NOTES: With the win, the Outlaws picked up just their second win of the year after trailing after seven innings....Alcombrack's homerun in the ninth was his 10th of the year, matching his total last year in Traverse City....Manuel went 3-4 on the night with a double and three runs scored, including the game winner.....Gailen's two hit night helped him become the Outlaw's new franchise record holder for season batting average at .382, eclipsing Daniel Nava's 2007 mark of .371....Gailen also tied Nava's On-Base-Percentage mark of .475.



Golden Baseball League Stories from September 3, 2010


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