Sixers Fall to Rawhide in Game of Missed Opportunities
Visalia, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino matched a season high in hits with 14, drew seven walks and had two batters hit by pitches but fell to Visalia for the third consecutive night as the 66ers stranded a season-worst 17 runners on base in a 7-6 loss.
Visalia, CA- The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino matched a season high in hits with 14, drew seven walks and had two batters hit by pitches but fell to Visalia for the third consecutive night as the 66ers stranded a season-worst 17 runners on base in a 7-6 loss. Inland Empire (15-19) went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
The 66ers were held scoreless through the first three two innings stranding five runners aboard but loaded the bases with no outs in the third. Caleb Scires and Gustavo Campero each notched RBI singles against starter Rigoberto Borbolla making it 2-0 in favor of the Sixers with the bases still loaded and nobody out. Jhonny Valdez (1-1) came out of the pen and struck out the next three 66ers, all called third strikes to end the threat and put IE’s stranded runner total to eight through three innings. John Swanda (2-2) cruised through the first three frames for the Sixers facing the minimum nine batters, but Visalia (9-26) sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth inning alone with five scoring sparked by Jorge Barrosa’s solo homer to open the frame. The Rawhide touched Swanda for two more in the fifth inning for a 7-2 advantage. Inland Empire did not go without a fight as Jose Reyes opened the seventh tagging a solo homer to right against Rawhide righty Marcos Tineo, it was Reyes first round-tripper of the season. Jose Guzman singled as did Elijah Green. Braxton Martinez doubled home Guzman. Green then scored on a wild pitch that moved Martinez to third; he came home on Jeremy Arocho’s RBI groundout making it 7-6. Jack Dashwood kept the game close going 3.2IP giving up no runs on two hits, no walks and six Ks. He has now struck out 35 batters this season without a walk. Inland Empire stranded two more runners on base in the eighth and left the tying runner at third in the ninth when Visalia closer Mailon Arroyo struck out Jose Bonilla to end the game for his fourth save. Martinez finished with three hits for IE while Scires, Campero and Greene each had two in the loss.
The series concludes Sunday at Visalia at 1:00pm. The contest can be heard live on 66ers.com.