Santos Plays Hero as Ballers Walk off Hawks Again
PL Oakland Ballers

Santos Plays Hero as Ballers Walk off Hawks Again

Published on August 25, 2025 under Pioneer League (PL)
Oakland Ballers News Release


OAKLAND, Calif. -- In front of friends and family, Berkeley native Esai Santos became a local legend with his walk-off single against the Boise Hawks in Sunday's series finale. With their 15-14 victory, the Ballers improved to 65-19 on the season, just five wins away from smashing the Pioneer League record.

Trailing 14-12 in the ninth, the Ballers needed a rally to at least force a knockout round. Dillon Tatum served a single into left with one out, and Jake Allgeyer doubled down the line to put the tying runs in scoring position.

With first base open, Aaron Miles opted not to pinch hit Christian Almanza for Nick Leehey, knowing that the Hawks would likely intentionally walk Almanza. Leehey took advantage of the opportunity, sizzling a game-tying, two-run single up the middle to knot the score at 14.

Then with two outs, Santos strode to the plate. One inning ago, he launched a solo shot to right field to bring the Ballers within two.

This time, on a 2-2 pitch, Santos poked a breaking ball into right, and it ducked in for a game-winning hit. Tyler Lozano scored, and the Ballers mobbed Santos near second base.

Santos' heroics followed a back-and-forth battle. The Hawks took a 3-0 lead in the first, and the Ballers erased that deficit with a four-run inning and an Allgeyer bases-clearing triple.

Boise scored three more in the second, featuring a two-run homer by Taylor Darden. Oakland took a 9-6 lead with a four-spot in the fourth, as Cam Bufford blasted his fourth long ball of the series and Leehey laced an RBI double.

The Hawks grabbed the lead right back with a six-run fifth. Jeremy Begora started the frame with a solo jack, and Darden ended it with a grand slam, his second home run of the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Ballers came within one when Davis Drewek stroked an opposite-field, two-run single to left. But, the Hawks restored their three-run advantage with back-to-back bombs from Noah Marcelo and Ethan Underwood on consecutive pitches.

James Colyer and Conner Richardson combined for 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, which allowed the Ballers to mount a comeback. And when Santos served up a walk-off single, Chewy picked up his fifth win of the season.

Oakland's final regular season road trip takes the team to Marysville. First pitch for the opener against the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT Tuesday. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.

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Pioneer League Stories from August 25, 2025


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