Inaugural Season Ends in First Round of Playoffs

By Nevada Cullen

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Ballers battled valiantly but bowed out in the first round of the Pioneer League playoffs with a 6-4 loss to the Yolo High Wheelers on Friday. Yolo advances to the PBL championship series, where they will face the Glacier Range Riders starting Tuesday.

In the end, the Ballers came one win away from a shot at accomplishing their goal – to bring a championship to the city of Oakland – in their inaugural season. The Ballers forced a winner-take-all game three after shutting out the High Wheelers in game two on Thursday.

And Oakland showed out for both games. The Ballers played in front of 3,277 fans on Thursday, and 2,662 more people packed Raimondi Park on Friday night. Their team might have lost, but they were treated to an incredible baseball game in the rubber match.

Jose Gonzalez made an instant impact for the High Wheelers. He slugged a two-out, two-run big fly to right field to give Yolo a 2-0 edge in the bottom of the first.

A pair of doubles extended Yolo's lead to 3-0 in the third. Angel Mendoza slapped a two-bagger down the left-field line to lead off the frame, and Brayland Skinner also sent a double down the line to plate Mendoza.

Tyler Lozano put the Ballers on the board in the third. With the crowd singing his name, Lozano launched the 10th pitch of his at bat to left field. David Glancy, the Yolo left fielder, tried to haul in the ball at the wall, but it glanced off of his glove and fell over the fence for a home run.

Glancy made up for the mishap instantly, leading off the fourth with a solo laser to left. His solo shot made the score 4-1, restoring the three-run cushion for the High Wheelers.

The top three hitters in the Oakland order all struck out against Yolo starter Ben Ferrer twice in their first two attempts against him, but that trend changed in the fifth. Brett Carson came through with a two-out single, and Daunte Stuart slammed a two-run jack to left and roared around the bases after bringing the Ballers within one.

In the seventh, the High Wheelers grabbed another three-run lead. Bobby Lada lifted a sacrifice fly to center, and Gonzalez lined an RBI single to center for his third run driven in of the evening.

Trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Ballers got another two-out hit from Brett Carson. He walloped a solo blast over the bullpen in right field, pulling Oakland within two with his second homer in as many days.

Carson Lambert gave the Ballers a couple scoreless innings of relief and punched out four. However, Oakland could not bring the tying run to the plate in the eighth or ninth innings, and fell 6-4.

The 2024 season is over for the Oakland Ballers, but this team made its mark. They won the second-half championship, finished with the second-best record in the PBL and led the league in shutouts with seven. The Ballers will return in 2025 with unfinished business to attend to.

And when they return, they will be greeted by a sea of Oaklanders at Raimondi Park. Ballers fans made the team's first season special, and they will continue to be the heart of the organization.

The Ballers took back professional baseball for Oakland in 2024. And now, it's here to stay.