Nuts Go Doubles-Crazy, Beat Bako 5-4
The Modesto Nuts pounded out five doubles and came from behind to beat the Bakersfield Blaze, 5-4, snapping Bakersfield's 6-game win streak and sending the team to its 5th straight Sunday afternoon defeat.
The Nuts scored first, but the Blaze did the bulk of their damage immediately thereafter. Modesto took advantage of a bad-hop double and a single to score a run in the 1st inning, and led 1-0 for about 20 minutes. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Blaze grabbed the lead right back. With 1 out, Dominic D'Anna walked, and Niko Vasquez blasted a first-pitch fastball over the wall in center for a 2-run homer, his first as a Blaze, and Bakersfield led 2-1. Then, one inning later, Billy Hamilton reached on a base hit to right, stole second (his 62nd of the year!), and scored easily on Devin Lohman's 7th home run, a deep drive over the leftfield fence.
From there, however, it was all Nuts. Modesto got 2 back in their half of the 4th inning off Blaze starter Andrew Brackman to make it 4-3, and in the 5th, after Brackman retired the first 2, Modesto collected yet another double (1 of 5 on the day) with 2 outs, and a single to plate the tying run. Justice French (L, 0-1) relieved Brackman to get out of the jam, and proceeded to toss scoreless 6th and 7th innings.
The game turned in a brief sequence extending from the bottom of the 7th to the top of the 8th. The Blaze put the go-ahead run at 3rd with nobody out, but Modesto's Nick Schnaitmann (W, 2-3) struck out Lohman, Bryson Smith and Travis Mattair, stranding the runner at 3rd and grabbing momentum back for the Nuts. Modesto, almost immediately, scored a run in the 8th, and led 5-4.
The Blaze had another shot in the 9th. With 1 out, Theo Bowe singled and stole both 2nd and 3rd, but again, the Blaze could not put a ball in play with the infield drawn in, and the Nuts finished the deal on a strikeout and a flyball to left.
The loss drops Bakersfield back to 32-24, and, temporarily, into a tie with San Jose atop the North.
The series with Modesto concludes Monday on DOLLAR DAY at the ballpark, though the homestand continues with 3 additional games against the Rawhide, Tuesday through Thursday. Seats are still available for all 4 games.
Can't make it? Listen to the play by play online at BakersfieldBlaze.com -- Dan Besbris calls the action starting at 7:30pm with the pregame show; first pitch on Monday is set for roughly 7:40.
The Nuts scored first, but the Blaze did the bulk of their damage immediately thereafter. Modesto took advantage of a bad-hop double and a single to score a run in the 1st inning, and led 1-0 for about 20 minutes. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Blaze grabbed the lead right back. With 1 out, Dominic D'Anna walked, and Niko Vasquez blasted a first-pitch fastball over the wall in center for a 2-run homer, his first as a Blaze, and Bakersfield led 2-1. Then, one inning later, Billy Hamilton reached on a base hit to right, stole second (his 62nd of the year!), and scored easily on Devin Lohman's 7th home run, a deep drive over the leftfield fence.
From there, however, it was all Nuts. Modesto got 2 back in their half of the 4th inning off Blaze starter Andrew Brackman to make it 4-3, and in the 5th, after Brackman retired the first 2, Modesto collected yet another double (1 of 5 on the day) with 2 outs, and a single to plate the tying run. Justice French (L, 0-1) relieved Brackman to get out of the jam, and proceeded to toss scoreless 6th and 7th innings.
The game turned in a brief sequence extending from the bottom of the 7th to the top of the 8th. The Blaze put the go-ahead run at 3rd with nobody out, but Modesto's Nick Schnaitmann (W, 2-3) struck out Lohman, Bryson Smith and Travis Mattair, stranding the runner at 3rd and grabbing momentum back for the Nuts. Modesto, almost immediately, scored a run in the 8th, and led 5-4.
The Blaze had another shot in the 9th. With 1 out, Theo Bowe singled and stole both 2nd and 3rd, but again, the Blaze could not put a ball in play with the infield drawn in, and the Nuts finished the deal on a strikeout and a flyball to left.
The loss drops Bakersfield back to 32-24, and, temporarily, into a tie with San Jose atop the North.
The series with Modesto concludes Monday on DOLLAR DAY at the ballpark, though the homestand continues with 3 additional games against the Rawhide, Tuesday through Thursday. Seats are still available for all 4 games.
Can't make it? Listen to the play by play online at BakersfieldBlaze.com -- Dan Besbris calls the action starting at 7:30pm with the pregame show; first pitch on Monday is set for roughly 7:40.