Seals Collapse In Game Two

July 26, 2009 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Victoria Seals News Release


Tucson, AZ - Returning to Hi Corbett Field for their second game in as many nights, the Victoria Seals took on the Tucson Toros on Saturday night. With the Toros handing the ball to Dan Knox (3-0) in the top of the first, the Seals countered with Roberto Sotolongo (2-1) on the mound.

For the second straight game it would be the visitors drawing first blood, this time in the top of the second inning when three consecutive singles from Josh Arhart, Brett Flowers and Gabriel Riley loaded the bases for a two-run double off the bat of Terry Mermer. Then, after a walk to Bret LeVier and an error to second basemen Skip Adams added one more run and put Wilver Perez on to load the bases once more, Sergio Pedroza launched a grand slam to left-centrefield to lift the Seals to a 7-0 advantage with just one out in the frame.

Keeping the pressure going following the home run, Victoria collected five straight singles from Jamar Hill, Arhart, Flowers, Riley and Mermer to finish the frame with a club-record 10 hits and 10 runs for a dominant early lead.

The Toros would begin to chip away in the bottom half of the frame, however, when the Seals defense fell apart. After the lead-off batter, Lino Garcia, reached on an error to third basemen Mermer, back-to-back errors put runners on first and second for Tucson when Sotolongo couldn't handle a flip from first basemen Flowers. Mayobanex Santana then picked up an RBI single for the home side, and a second run scored when LeVier threw away a double play opportunity to bring the score to 10-2.

Restoring their 10-run advantage in the top of the third frame, the Seals capitalized when a routine fly ball was dropped in right by Andre Marshall to allow Perez onto the base path, which was followed by a walk to Pedroza. A sacrifice fly from Arhart then put Victoria up 11-2 before Flowers notched his third hit of the ball game, a double down the first base line, to leave the score at 12-2 Seals.

A solo home run from Dustin Yount to kick off the bottom of the third for Tucson, however, cued another rally for the Toros. When Garcia reached on another error to Mermer, a fielder's choice and a walk loaded the bases, and a base hit from Ryan Priddy scored a pair to pull the Toros with seven runs. After a double from Adams cashed another pair in the frame, another hit courtesy of Yount gave the crowd at Hi Corbett life, and brought Tucson within three runs, a 12-9 score after a seven-run inning.

The home side then completed the remarkable comeback effort in the bottom half of the fourth, while the Seals committed their club-worst eighth error of the game. With a single from Marshall and a double from Santana already on base, Ryan Priddy reached on a Victoria miscue before an RBI single from Adams knotted the contest 12-12.

Then, with a bizarre start to the contest said and done with, the middle game of this set became a chess match for four straight innings. The combined pitching efforts of Tom Wilhelmson and Jordon Muir retired 16 consecutive Victoria batters, while Roberto Sotolongo left the game in place of Graham Campbell having allowed just one earned run through four frames.

As the game again turned to the bottom of the ninth deadlocked following a double play for Tucson in the top half of the frame, a controversial two-out check swing set up a walk to Yount. With the game-winning run advancing to second on another free pass to Garcia, Dane De La Rosa surrendered the walk-off single to Jim Rushford as the Toros completed a 10-run comeback en route to a 13-12 victory.

Ethan Katz takes the loss for the Seals, their fifth straight, while Reid Price gets credit for the win after pitching the ninth inning for the second game in a row. Both Dustin Yount and Skip Adams headlined the Tucson offense, with three RBI's each in the winning effort.

Full boxscore: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=1965

This three-game set against the Toros wraps up tomorrow night, when the Seals return to Hi Corbett Field to try and salvage the final game of this series. Start time is 7:00 p.m. (PT), and the game will be broadcast live on www.victoriaseals.ca.

Victoria returns to Royal Athletic Park on July 28 when the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch will be on display to kick off the final series of the year against the Edmonton Capitals! Get your tickets online now at www.selectyourtickets.com, or by phone at (250) 220-7777.



Golden Baseball League Stories from July 26, 2009


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