Scorpions can't slow down 'Runners

July 31, 2007 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Yuma Scorpions News Release


YUMA, Ariz. - Whatever aura has shielded the Scorpions at Desert Sun Stadium during home games this season isn't working against the St. George RoadRunners.

Yuma - a perfect 16-0 against the rest of the league - began the month by hosting the expansion RoadRunners as they posted their first winning streak in franchise history. Friday, the Scorpions (9-3) couldn't cling to an early lead and fell 5-2 as St. George picked up its first win of the second half.

Scorpions left-hander Roger Luque entered the night as with the lowest ERA (1.75) of any Golden Baseball League pitcher to have logged more than 45 innings. His high-70s fastball kept RoadRunner hitters off balance early as Luque faced just two over the minimum through four innings.

The Venezuelan's sixth win got away from him in the fifth inning with the Scorpions ahead 1-0.

Luque allowed back-to-back, one-out bloopers to center off the bats of Steven Wright and Kelington Made before hitting lead-off batter Ryan Stevenson.

The RoadRunners plated their first run when Luque was called for a balk one batter later and Brett Flowers knocked a two-run single through the box to give St. George the lead.

"After committing that balk, my mind was gone," said Luque, who fell to 5-3. "I got mad and that's when I struggled."

Santiago Guerro notched the fifth single of the frame to right with two outs to put the RoadRunners up 4-1.

The loss, coupled with Long Beach's shutout victory over Chico, dropped Yuma into second place in the second-half standings.

"A bit of a nonsense balk call changed the game," Scorpions manager Mike Marshall said. "But we didn't play well. (We) didn't swing it but give some credit to their pitcher. We took strikes and swung at balls and that's a bad combination."



Golden Baseball League Stories from July 31, 2007


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