Boise Takes Down Salem-Keizer with Comeback

By Steve Granado

September 4, 2016

Keizer, OR: After a thrilling win to finish up the 2016 home schedule, the Boise Hawks shipped out to Oregon to face off with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and start a three game series. The Hawks never gave up in the opener, taking the lead in the ninth for a comeback win.

Boise got on the scoreboard quickly. Steven Linkous led the game off with a walk against Salem-Keizer's Mac Marshall. A Luis Castro single put him on third and Willie Abreu brought him home with an RBI sacrifice fly. The Hawks would strike again when Castro came home on a throwing error in the third. Boise had a 2-0 lead.

Salem-Keizier scored the majority of their runs in the bottom of the third. Jacob Heyward reached on an error, and would come home on one as well. After Gio Brusa reached with two outs, John Riley smacked his third home run of the season with a two run shot to right field. Three runs would come home on just two hits.

Boise tied it in the seventh. It was the Linkous/Abreu duo getting it done again, with Linkous scoring from Abreu's single to right. Tied 3-3, a crucial error in the eighth brought home Salem-Keizer's Brusa to give the Volcanoes the lead 4-3 heading to the ninth.

Tyler Orris picked the right time to get his first and only hit, leading things off with a single off Patrick Ruotolo. Linkous would lay down a bunt and beat the throw to put runners on first and second. Castro followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt of his own to move the runners up 90 feet. Garrett Hampson tied the game with a sacrifice fly to bring home Orris, and Volcanoes' catcher Riley would get charged with a passed ball to let Linkous score the go ahead run, 5-4.

Jared Gesell made quick work in the ninth inning and the Hawks would win game one of the series.

The Hawks play the middle game on Sunday against the Volcanoes at 6:05 p.m. MT. All the action for game 75 can be heard on BoiseHawks.com.

FINAL: Boise - 5 Salem-Keizer - 4

WP: Jared Gesell (2-0)

LP: Patrick Ruotolo (2-2)

BS: CJ Gettman (1), Patricok Ruotolo (2)

HR: John Riley (3)