Ballers blast Coast in Sunday afternoon win
Ybarra, Stone and Allgeyer power Ballers in victory
By Gareth Kwok
OAKLAND, CA – The Oakland Ballers flexed their muscle to defeat the Long Beach Coast 11-5 on Sunday afternoon and take two of the first three games of the series from Raimondi Park.
Oakland (3-3) used seven extra base hits (three homers) and a brilliant bullpen performance to hold Long Beach to just five runs on the afternoon after the Coast scored 26 runs in the first two games of the weekend.
Ballers starting right-hander Gabe Tanner (W, 1-1) stumbled out of the gate but finished strong to earn his first win of the season. After allowing four Long Beach (3-3) homers in the first four innings, he retired seven of the final eight batters faced to complete six innings – the first 5+ inning performance by an Oakland starter this season. The 24-year-old also matched his 2025 season-high with six strikeouts.
Jeter Ybarra continued his sizzling start to the season with his fourth homer of the season in the fourth – a solo shot to left-center that traveled 400 feet. After finishing 3-for-3 with two RBI, Ybarra is now batting .391 with four homers and 11 RBI in his first six games with the Ballers.
With the score tied at five in the fifth, Damian Stone hammered a two-run go-ahead shot off lefty Conner Gleissner (L, 0-1) to put the Ballers ahead 7-5. All three of Stone's hits have gone for extra bases this season (two homers, one triple).
T.J. McKenzie doubled home Noah Blythe later in the fifth to complete a three-run frame. McKenzie is batting .391 with 10 RBI to begin the year.
A three-run opposite field homer from Jake Allgeyer in the sixth put the game away for the Ballers. Allgeyer reached base three times in the game and leads the Ballers with a .593 on-base percentage.
Campbell Spradling, Valek Cisneros, and Braydon Nelson combined for three scoreless innings of relief and three strikeouts to clinch the Sunday victory.
With an off day on Memorial Day, the Ballers continue their six-game series against the Long Beach Coast on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Fans can tune in beginning at 6:15 pm on HomeTeam Network and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube Channel.
