Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Yuba-Sutter Freebirds
Composite Schedule

High Wheelers Hot Streak Continues

Five-of-six games in back-to-backs series vs Hawks

High Wheelers Hot Streak Continues
Video Box Score

It's very difficult for a team to win five-of-six in one series, however, the Yolo High Wheelers (50-38; 27-15) have accomplished that three straight times as they defeated the Boise Hawks (48-42; 23-19) 10-4 on Sunday night at Memorial Stadium.  Beginning with the August 11th win at Northern Colorado, Yolo is 16-3 in its last 19 games.  The High Wheelers won ten-of-twelve against the Hawks.

 
Yolo has a four-game lead over Boise for the second place second half playoff spot.  The High Wheelers are one game behind the first place Oakland Ballers.  There are six games left in the regular season for all parties.
 
For the third straight game, the High Wheelers jumped out to a big lead early, scoring five times through the first three innings.  Yolo scored a run in the first when the second batter of the game--shortstop Braylin Marine singled to center.  Third baseman Braedon Blackford followed with a single to the same spot, and first baseman Jose Gonzalez drove home the first of his four runs with a single to center.  
 
Right fielder Tanner Smith (12) homered to right leading off the second making it 2-0.  It was the first of five Yolo homers.  Smith had three homers in the series.  The High Wheelers plated three more in the third when Marine (9) led off with a home run to left, and after a Blackford double, Gonzalez (19--team-high) hit one out to center.  Blackford and Gonzalez each finished a triple shy of the cycle. 
 
Boise was able to fight back and took advantage of five Yolo errors--a season-high.  The Hawks scored a run in third on an error, two in the fifth on two Yolo miscues, and a run in the seventh which made it 5-4 Yolo.  Boise came within a foot of taking the lead in the seventh when catcher Nich Klemp's fly ball was caught at the wall by left fielder David Glancy.  The reason Klemp had an extra swing was because Blackford dropped a routine foul pop.
 
After things got tight, the visitors responded immediately as Blackford (13) went deep to left opening the eighth making it 6-4 Yolo.  The High Wheelers added another run that frame on a single by Smith.  It was 8-4 going to the ninth when pinch hitter Alejandro Figueredo (7) belted a homer to left (first pinch homer in Yolo history) while later, Gonzalez added more cushion with a two-out RBI double.
 
Blackford's homer came at a big time after the Hawks had chipped away, "I faced Dykstra earlier in the week and knew he had a high velocity fastball," Blackford said.  "After my error (dropped foul pop the inning before) I knew I needed to find a way to get on base and make up for it.  My plan was to be on time for a heater and get my best swing off.  I was able to put a good swing on the first pitch and greatful it flew out of the yard."
 
Brendan Knoll (2-3) worked five innings for the win.  The Yolo starter allowed three runs (none earned) on three hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.  Relievers Ethan Bates, Jack Zalasky, Connor Langrell, and Ty Buckner combined for the final four frames, surrendering one run and had four strikeouts.
 
The showdown for first place/playoffs begins on Tuesday in the final regular season series when the Oakland Ballers come to town for the first of six.  The game will start at 4:00 p.m.  Right-hander Cameron Repetti will start for Yolo while Oakland hasn't announced its starter.
 
HIGH TALES
Yolo's five homers were not the most hit by them in one game.  The club tallied seven on August 15th at Grand Junction
 
The ERA for Yolo starting pitching in the games at Boise was 1.13.  They allowed five earned runs in 40 innings
 
It was the fourth four-RBI game for Gonzalez.  He's reached base safely in his last 36 games.  Gonzalez vs. Boise this year was 21-44, .477 with 16 RBI's.  He leads the High Wheelers with 81 runs batted in.  He's fifth in the league in batting at .375
 
Marine was 2-4 with a walk, homer, single and three runs scored.  He had six hits over his last two games and against the Hawks he was 21-50, .420.  His average is .390, second highest in the Pioneer League.  
 
Blackford against Boise this year was 17-41, .414
 
Collectively in the 12 games Yolo's average against Boise was .317 with nine homers
 
Langrell pitched a shutout eighth while Buckner did the same in the ninth.  In Langrell's last 17 games he's totaled 17 shutout innings.  While Buckner has a streak of five straight scoreless ninth innings.