Nuts Rally Twice in Late Innings for Comeback Win
MODESTO, CA - "Heartbreaker" is a term that is thrown around at least a few dozen times over the course of a baseball season. Sometimes it's close game in the midst of a June swoon, sometimes an extra-innings loss on in mid-July. The Rawhide have suffered many tough losses this
MODESTO, CA - "Heartbreaker" is a term that is thrown around at least a few dozen times over the course of a baseball season. Sometimes it's close game in the midst of a June swoon, sometimes an extra-innings loss on in mid-July. The Rawhide have suffered many tough losses this season; tonight was a true heartbreaker.
Visalia rode a strong start from
White drew the count full before singling to left field, bringing home
Tunnell worked past Zamarelli thanks to a diving play by
But the Rawhide offense wasn't done. In a true see-saw fashion, Visalia roared back with three straight doubles from
In the bottom of the frame,
Cowan followed and single to right, scoring Larson and moving Santa to third. The Rawhide lead was down to 7-6. But once again, White had a chance to come up with a clutch hit. He worked the count full and then slashed a double into left field, plating Santa as the tying run. The ball went into the Visalia bullpen, holding Cowan at third as the potential go-ahead run.
There was still one out, and the Rawhide appeared to have caught a break.
The left-hander
Visalia loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth and got a bases-loaded walk to Pavin Smith to bring the game within one, but an
Modesto (60-76/30-36) scored seven runs in two innings against the same Rawhide bullpen that tossed five one-hit shutout frames on Wednesday night. White led the charge for the Nuts with three hits, two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored.
The Visalia offense got to work early, taking a lead in the second on a sac fly by Pavin Smith and adding on thanks to a solo blast by
Pavin Smith finished the game with two hits and his second four-RBI game of the season. Hernandez put up three hits, his fourth straight multi-hit game, and drove home a pair.
Visalia (67-69/30-36) is now tied for second place with Modesto; both teams are two games behind first-place Stockton in the second half standings. The only way that Visalia could miss the playoffs is if Modesto sweeps their series against San Jose and the Rawhide win at least three games in their upcoming three-game set against Stockton. Any other combination of wins and losses will result in a Visalia playoff berth.
The Rawhide head to Stockton to take on the Ports in a four-game series to close out the regular season. First pitch is at 7:10 PM and the live radio broadcast will be available on rawhidebaseball.com.
The Visalia Rawhide are a professional baseball team in the Class A Advanced California League and are the only professional sports team in Tulare and Kings counties. The team has been an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2007 and is entering their 72nd year of play in 2018. The Rawhide renovated their home at Recreation Ballpark in 2009 and have since become the largest gathering of individuals in Tulare County, having set an attendance record for the seventh time in the past eight seasons in 2017. In 2018, the Rawhide look to continue their reputation for hosting competitive baseball while providing affordable family entertainment. To be a part of the 2018 Visalia Rawhide season, please contact the Visalia Rawhide Ticket Office at 559.732.4433, visit us online at rawhidebaseball.com, or follow us on Facebook (TheRawhide), Instagram (@VisaliaRawhide), and Twitter (@VisaliaRawhide).