Seals Help Long Beach Stay Alive
Published on August 30, 2009 under Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Victoria Seals News Release
Long Beach, CA - Returning to Blair Field for the third time in as many days, the Victoria Seals took on the Long Beach Armada in a late matinee Sunday evening. With the Fleet turning to Kris Honel (6-5) for the start, the Seals countered with right-hander James Garcia (3-4) in the third installment of the series.
Jumping onto the board in the bottom of the first frame, a lead-off double from Brandon Howard scored after Omar Bramasco found himself caught in a run-down following a base hit. Victoria responded with some offense of their own in the top of the second, tying the game 1-1 when Billy Krause cashed Gabriel Riley with an RBI double down the first base line.
Long Beach bounced back in the bottom half of the second, though, receiving a single from Bramasco to score Asif Shah after the right-fielder notched a base hit earlier in the inning. The Armada then bolstered their lead in the third inning, using three walks from Garcia to load the bases, before a fourth free pass to Shah made it a 3-1 game. After another RBI walk, this time to Brandon Howard, Bramasco collected his third hit of the night and scored another pair for the home side to cap off a five-run frame.
Leaving a pair of runners on in the top of the fourth, Victoria closed a 7-1 deficit in the fifth when a string of three straight singles from Brian Rios, Brett Flowers and Gabriel Riley scored a pair of runs to pull the visitors back within four.
With the teams exchanging runs in the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh, the Armada put the game out of reach following the seventh inning stretch. Starting the frame with a lead-off home run from Shah, Long Beach got the help of three hit batters in the frame to add another two runs to their total, and take an 11-4 lead into the eighth inning.
Despite finding six base runners in the final two frames, Victoria could not muster another run as the Armada keep their playoff hopes alive with an 11-4 victory. Long Beach will now earn a South Division playoff berth if the Tucson Toros fail to win either of their final two games, including tonight's contest against the St. George RoadRunners.
James Garcia struggled from the outset, eventually throwing a club-record 141 pitches in the loss while Kris Honel earns his seventh win of the year on the night. Omar Bramasco had a brilliant offensive night for the Armada, finishing 4-for-4 with 3 runs batted in, while Billy Krause had his best outing as a Seals with a pair of hits and 3 RBI's in the losing effort.
Full boxscore: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscore.html?gameid=2092
The Victoria Seals will wrap up their inaugural season with game four against the Long Beach Armada tomorrow night, a 7:00 p.m. (PT) start time on www.victoriaseals.ca. Fans are invited to send in their questions and comments to mike@victoriaseals.ca for the final show of the year tomorrow!
Season tickets for next year are also now on sale, available through the Victoria Seals office at 1014 Caledonia Street. Call (250) 480-4487 for more information, or to book your seat today!
Golden Baseball League Stories from August 30, 2009
- Seals Help Long Beach Stay Alive - Victoria Seals
- Capitals Drop Season Finale - Edmonton Capitals
- Castro Finishes Season at .410 - Calgary Vipers
- Winner's Ball Toss Tonight at Nettleton - Chico Outlaws
- Fleet scores 5 in 7th inning in comeback win - Long Beach Armada
- Victoria Seals Sink In Armada Surge - Victoria Seals
- Martin Stellar in Road Victory - St. George RoadRunners
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