RoadRunners Take Home Series Over the OC
July 28, 2009 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
St. George RoadRunners News Release
ST. GEORGE, UTAH - The St. George RoadRunners pulled even with Orange County (24-24) in the race for the 2nd half Southern Division title by defeating the Flyers 6-2 Monday in the Golden Baseball League's only contest of the night.
St. George (32-19) took the series two games to one and both clubs sport a 7-4 mark in the second half.
Raymar Diaz (5-1) tossed seven quality innings scattering four hits to keep the OC bats off balance. Diaz, Julio Castro and Bartolome Fortunato combined to retire the final 17 Flyer batters in-a-row. Diaz won his second game in three starts this year against the defending GBL champions.
St. George scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back. Ruddy Yan drew a four-pitch walk off Matt Durkin while Ryan Stevenson reached after Julian Benavidez lost a fly ball in the sun behind third base. League RBI leader A.J. Valentine (60) singled home Yan to give STG a 1-0 lead. Catcher Jose Rodriguez blasted a first pitch to right-center for a homer, his eighth.
Trailing 4-0, the Flyers scored twice on two hits and two errors in the second. Jim Goethals plated the sole OC RBI reaching on a misplay by shortstop Eric Pringle.
Yosvany Almario led off the home second with a single and scored three batters later when Valentine's grounder was mishandled by Damien Jackson to give the RoadRunners a 5-2 advantage.
Both teams were held scoreless until the eighth inning. OC reliever Andre Simpson allowed a pair of hits to Gary Harris and Henry Calderon plating an insurance run.
The RoadRunners have had the upper hand lately in the head-to-head season series winning five of the last seven.
St. George begins a six-game road trip Tuesday night in Chico against the Outlaws. Eric Van Slyke gets the start in the opener beginning at 8:05pm Mountain.
Live audio action begins at 7:45pm with the RoadRunners Pre-Game Show.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from July 28, 2009
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- Game Time Change - Friday, July 31st - Edmonton Capitals
- Armada returns to action after weekend off - Long Beach Armada
- RoadRunners Take Home Series Over the OC - St. George RoadRunners
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