Playoff spot in picture with opening Hawks game win
High Wheelers all smiles in 10-4 victory back at home
Boise Hawks
0-0
4
Yuba-Sutter Freebirds
0-0
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
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3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 10 | 12 | 1 |
Davis, Ca.---No elevation, no problem! After a 21-game road trip most of which was at in Colorado, the Yolo High Wheelers (41-36; 18-13) return to sea level with elevated results in a 10-4 win over the first place Boise Hawks (46-33; 21-10) on Tuesday afternoon at Dobbins Stadium. The High Wheelers have won seven-of-eight and coming into the game were one out of a playoff spot.
Yolo manager Billy Horton was impressed with the offense which totaled 12 hits, "a lot of guys hit the ball hard and passed the stick to the next guy. I thought the team overall did an excellent job especially the top of the lineup, those guys are the catalysts, the engine," Horton was referring to the top four in the order scoring all the runs.
Boise scored twice in the first but the High Wheelers retaliated, with three runs in its half. Center fielder Brayland Skinner led off with a walk. Shortstop Braylin Marine singled while second baseman Bobby Lada hit a fly ball single to left, scoring Skinner. Designated hitter Alejandro Figueredo delivered a sacrifice fly tying the game at two. The final run of the first came in the most unusual manner---the High Wheelers had the bases loaded with left fielder David Glancy at the plate. He hit a pop up to shortstop with the infield fly run in effect, Boise shortstop Trevor Minder dropped the ball. Glancy was out automatically but as the ball lay in shallow left field, Lada scampered home safely making it 3-2 Yolo. It was ruled an error on Minder with no RBI for Glancy.
The High Wheelers broke the game open in the second plating four. The big blow was a three-run homer by first baseman Jose Gonzalez (17--team high) making it 7-2 and knocking Boise starter Luke Malone (6-5) out. Gonzalez passed Lada for the team-high in RBI's with 68. The other star for Yolo was Marine who was four-for-four with four singles and a walk. It was his third game of exactly four hits. His season-high is five hits, June 18th vs. Oakland. Marine leads the club with an average of .393 which is among the top five in the Pioneer League.
"I think the team feels a breath of fresh air when we get back home," said Gonzalez. "We know we have a good team (Boise) coming in and we were ready to go. And we're excited for this week with the potential knowing what we have to do."
Ben Ferrer (8-4) gave the High Wheelers another solid start. He lasted six innings, struck out four, and despite giving up nine hits, he only allowed four runs (all earned). The right-hander issued two walks. In his last 33 2/3 innings he's surrendered six walks. Ferrer has won his last four decisions, his last three starts and has a team-high in wins. Ethan Bates and Chris Anglin combined to pitch the last three innings with Anglin matching his season-high in strikeouts with four over two perfect innings.
"It was a great start by Ferrer. I thought Bates and Anglin were excellent out of the bullpen giving us those combined three shutout innings," Horton said.
Anglin piggybacked Horton, "I just come in and do my job. I'm a lefty coming out of the bullpen, and know I'm going to have to face a couple of lefties and I just try to execute all my pitches. The curveball was working today against the lefties and when it works, it's not too big of an issue."
The teams continue this series--game two--on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. PST. Right-hander Brendan Knoll is the scheduled starter for Yolo against Boise righty Isaac Mendez.
HIGH TALES
This was the first meeting ever between Boise and Yolo who will now meet 11 more times consecutively. Next week Yolo heads to Boise
Ferrer's ERA coming into the game was at 4.54 and will not know until Wednesday if he's among the league leaders due to inning qualifications. His ERA is now 4.65.
It was the first home game for Bates who signed with Yolo on July 29th, the first of the 18 straight games in Colorado. The other High Wheeler signed that day, UC-Davis alum Andrew LaCour also wore a home jersey at this ballpark for the first time professionally but did not pitch.
