Morning Series: The 86ers at The Diablos
The Saturday morning PCL series featured The 86ers against a short-handed Diablos squad, with the 86ers sweeping the series. After the sweep, The 86ers (8-4) are tied for second place in the PCL with the Pharaohs (8-4). Both teams trail Los Burros (9-3) by a game. Meanwhile, The Diablos (1-11) have dug an early season hole that they’ll need to start climbing out of quickly or they’ll find themselves in the basement all season long.
Game 1: Pitcher Leonard Queneville, who leads the league in strikeouts and has pitched 18 consecutive innings without giving up a run, got the nod and the 6 – 2 victory. The offense backed him with a 5-run 2nd inning. Cam Steed lead the way with a single, 2 doubles, and 4 RBIs.
The Diablos did score 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning, with Brian Dozer and Eduardo Delatorre each chipping in an RBI.
Game 2: 86ers pitcher Brendan Hite tossed 4+ strong innings, and the 86ers took the 5 – 1 win, behind 4 hits from slugger Jose Ruiz. Leonard Quenneville and Cam Steed also recorded a multi-hit game.
Carlton Franklin got the start for The Diablos, but didn’t make it past the 1st inning after walking two batters. He did drive in The Diablos’ only run of the game. Brian Dozer and Eduardo Delatorre each recorded a multi-hit game in the loss.
Game 3: Patrick Greene got the start for The 86ers, and Dave Cabbrera and Leonard Quenneville also pitched in the 5 – 0 win. The 86ers offense was powered again by Jose Ruiz and Cam Steed, with the always reliable Brendan Hite also kicking in an RBI.
The Diablos had singles from Nikki Eliot and Carlton Franklin. Brian Dozer and Eduardo Delatorre took the mound in Game 3, allowing 4 runs on 11 hits.
Afternoon Series: Los Burros at Pharaohs
The 115 degree heat wasn’t the only hot thing in this series. Both teams entered the day as the top dogs in the league, each entertaining visions of sole possession of first place. Los Burros ultimately took the day, taking two wins in the three game set.
Game 1: While Los Burros (9 – 3) took the series, it was The Pharaohs (8 – 4) who won Game 1, blanking Los Burros 2 – 0. Over 3 ⅓ innings, Josh Bosnos of The Pharaohs struck out 4 Burros, surrendering only 1 hit. Not to be outdone on the bump, teammate Parker Trask also struck out 4 and allowed a single hit. Alonzo Valencia had 3 of The Pharaohs 4 hits, with Beau Hall also contributing a base knock.
Los Burros had strong pitching efforts from Matthew Kelly and Richard Parsons, but weren’t able to keep The Pharaohs from scratching across a couple of runs, which is all The Pharaohs would need.
Game 2: In a game that featured plenty of action, Los Burros started off hot, with 3 runs in the top half of the 1st inning, and another run in the top of the 2nd. After The Pharaohs responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the 2nd inning, Los Burros appeared to take control of the game with 3 more runs in the 3rd for a 7 – 2 lead. The Pharaohs made a big push though, scoring 4 runs in the home half of the 5th inning, but weren’t able to complete the comeback as Los Burros took Game 2 by a score of 7 – 6.
Nick Fabiano drove in 3 of Los Burros’ runs and hit a home run. Richard Parsons also went deep for Los Burros. Jason Walker struck out 10 Pharaohs batters.
Josh Bosnos hit two home runs for The Pharaohs, and Parker Trask also went deep.
Game 3: The final game in the series followed the pattern of Game 2: Los Burros took an early lead and had to withstand a late push by The Pharaohs. In the top half of the 2nd inning, Los Burros scored 4 runs, then added two more in the 4th inning. The Pharaohs were held scoreless until the 5th inning, when they pushed two runs across. They were able to tack on another in the 6th inning, but lost the game by a score of 6 – 3.
Jeff Williams of Los Burros went 3 for 4, driving in 4 runs and going yard twice. Shaun Suller and Manager Scott Howay also drove in runs for Los Burros. For The Pharaohs, Alonzo Valencia drove in 2 runs off another home run, his fifth of the young season.
Evening Series: Lumberjacks at Regulators
The Lumberjacks (7 – 5), who lead the league in runs scored by a healthy margin, entered the game with a sweep of The Regulators (3 – 9) on their minds. And they were well on their way to doing just that, with convincing wins in Games 1 and 2. But The Lumberjacks stole Game 3, thanks to the unlikely heroics of league favorite Daniel Cosorean-Rotaru.
Game 1: The Lumberjacks exploded for 5 runs in the 1st inning, en route to a 7 – 2 victory. Jake Johnson and James Shorey both knocked in a couple of runs for The Lumberjacks, while Malik Ogburn went 3 for 4 with a home run. James Shorey pitched 4 innings, striking out 7 and allowing 2 runs.
Kyle Baker had 4 hits for The Regulators, including a home run.
Game 2: The Lumberjacks kept things rolling in the second game, lighting up the scoreboard with 6 runs in the 1st inning and 5 more in the 3rd in a mercy-rule shortened game that ended with an 11 – 0 score. Jay Kohler, Malik Ogburn, and Bill Dixon each hit home runs.
The Regulators pitching staff had trouble with control in Game 2, as pitchers Mason Wood, James Ogburn, and Kaden Larsen all walked out.
Game 3: In an epic final game, James Ogburn and Gavin Mansell of the Regulators held the prolific Lumberjacks offense to 3 runs on only 3 hits. The Lumberjacks took an early 3 – 0 lead in the top half of the 2nd inning, but The Regulators would rally. Fan favorite Daniel Cosorean-Rotaru came through with a clutch game-tying RBI down the line to knot the game at 3 – 3. The Regulators were able to bring the decisive fourth run across in the home half of the 4th inning and steal a game from The Lumberjacks.
