Blaze Walk-off Sixers on Extra-Inning Wild Pitch

Bakersfield, CA- The Bakersfield Blaze down visiting Inland Empire 9-8 at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark in ten innings on Monday. The Blaze scored the winning run as Aaron Barbosa scored on a wild pitch delivered by 66ers reliever Trevor Foss to give Bakersfield the series-opening win.

Inland Empire trailed 1-0 after one inning but unloaded in the second on Bakersfield (25-39) starter Dan Altavilla who did not make it out of the second. IE scored six times in the frame highlighted by RBI singles from Pedro Ruiz and Michael Snyder as well as a RBI double from Ruben Sosa.

The Blaze would have a six-run frame for themselves in the bottom of the fifth. After Inland Empire (31-32) starter Victor Alcantara cruised through four innings and ran his streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 11, the wheels fell off. The Blaze batted around Jay Baum's two-run single that capped the scoring and gave the Mariners affiliate a 7-6 lead.

The Sixers made the lead temporary in the top of the sixth as Quinten Davis drilled a solo missile off of reliever Carlos Misell to immediately tie the game at 7-7. It was Davis second homer of the year and first from the left-handed batters box. Two batters late Ruben Sosa gave IE the lead when he blasted his first homer of the season to dead center.

It stayed tied until the eighth when Tim Lopes tied the game with a two out RBI single to right field. Southpaw All-Star Paul Fry stymied Inland Empire in the late going. He tossed the final three innings allowing just one baserunner to reach on a wild pitch following a strikeout. The Blaze made him a winner in the tenth when Barboasa singled with one out and stole second. He moved to third on an error by IE 3B Pedro Ruiz that should have ended the frame. Instead the Sixers intentionally loaded the bases but on a 2-1 pitch to Kyle Petty, Foss bounced one back to the screen allowing Barbosa home from third with the winning run. Foss fell to 1-2 while Fry improved to 4-2.

The series continues on Tuesday at 7:50 pm. It can be heard live at 66ers.com.

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