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Wild Finish Gives Outlaws 4-3 Victory Over Flyers

August 23, 2007 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Orange County Flyers News Release


CHICO, CA - Daniel Nava scored from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning, and that run proved to be the difference as the Chico Outlaws edged the Orange County Flyers 4-3 Wednesday night...the Outlaws taking the rubber match of their three-game series at Nettleton Stadium.

The game featured an entertaining pitcher's duel between two of the Golden Baseball League's top strikeout artists, Reed Dickert of Orange County and Chico's Nick Singleton. The Outlaws opened the scoring in the 1st inning when Jesse Kovacs belted his fifth home run of the year over the right field wall, giving Chico a 1-0 lead. The Outlaws upped their advantage in the 3rd on singles by Eric Pringle and Steve Boggs and a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Kovacs...Pringle scoring on the play to give Chico a 2-0 lead. In the 4th the Flyers got on the board when Bret Levier led off the inning with a double and came home on a Rich Pohle single to make the score 2-1.

Chico held on to that one-run lead until the 7th when Orange County knotted up the contest - Scott Goodman scoring on a two-out double by Buddy Morales. The Outlaws went right back on top in the bottom of the 7th when Todd Gossage blasted a Dickert offering over the right field wall...his third round-tripper of the year giving Chico a brief 3-2 lead. In the 8th Outlaws reliever Jake McKinley surrendered a solo homer to Charlie Douglas that once again tied the score, but in the bottom of the 8th went back out in front, this time to stay - with Flyers reliever Ezequiel Ruvalcaba on the mound, Daniel Nava walked, stole second, went to third on a groundout and came home when Ruvalcaba's first pitch to Jason Van Meetren sailed to the backstop. Now up 4-3, Chico brought in closer Todd Gelatka to get the final three outs in the 9th, but Orange County was able to get the tying run to third base with only one out. Gelatka stiffened, getting Brett Thomas to bounce out to shortstop and Douglas to ground back to the box to end the game and give the Outlaws the hard-fought victory...Chico's eighth win over the Flyers in 14 meetings this season.

Jesse Oster (4-2), the third of four Outlaws pitchers, got credit for the win, with Gelatka picking up his Golden Baseball League-leading 17th save of the year (tying a single season club record)...Ruvalcaba (0-2) was tagged for the loss. Gossage and Pringle each had two hits to lead the Outlaws offense; despite scoring the winning run, Nava went 0-for-3 to snap his club record 19-game hitting streak. The Flyers had seven hits on the night, with Levier finishing 2-for-3. Wednesday's win upped Chico's second half record to 15-19 and overall mark to 40-32...Orange County dropped to 17-17 in the second half and 36-36 for the year. The Outlaws continue their final homestand of the regular season Thursday with the first of four against the team they'll face in next week's GBL Championship Series, the Long Beach Armada - right-hander Greg Bicknell (1-1) will be on the mound for Chico in the series opener, with righty Jeff Heaverlo (7-4) expected to throw for Long Beach. Game time is 7:05pm; hear all the action on the internet, on SportsFan 101.7 FM or SportsFan 1340 AM in Oroville.

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