Cobb, Ybarra help Ballers triumph over Coast in knockout round win
Oakland has now won five of last six games
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 1 |
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2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
By Gareth Kwok
OAKLAND, CA – Tremayne Cobb's four homers in the knockout round home run derby and Jeter Ybarra's three homers during the game helped the Oakland Ballers triumphantly defeat the Long Beach Coast by a final score of 7-7 on Tuesday night at Raimondi Park.
Cobb hit his fourth and final homer of the knockout round with 15 seconds left, beating Matthew Bardowell's three homers to win the series opener for Oakland.
Oakland (12-13) led by as many as five runs through four innings thanks to three Ballers homers. Jaden Collura opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the first inning. Ybarra hit a solo homer in the second and a two-run blast in the third, making it 5-0 Oakland. It's the second multi-homer game in the last three days for Ybarra.
Starting left-hander CJ Blowers punched out a season-high eight batters in six innings, allowing just two runs on three hits and one walk in a no-decision. The 29-year-old did not allow a hit through his first four innings.
Down by three, Long Beach (19-6) tied the score in the seventh against three Ballers relievers. Emilio Corona homered, Eddy Pelc singled in a run, and Patrick Roche singled in the tying run with two outs to tie the game at five.
In the bottom of the eighth, Ybarra struck again. The 24-year-old first baseman sent a first-pitch fastball 401 feet over the center field wall to give the Ballers a one-run lead. With his three-homer game, Ybarra now leads the Pioneer League with 12 homers on the season. He is the second Baller this season to hit three homers in a game.
The lead would be short-lived though for Oakland entering the ninth. Pelc tied the game with a leadoff opposite-field solo homer off Braydon Nelson to make it 6-6. After a walk, hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch advanced the runners into scoring position, Cuba Bess drove in the go-ahead run from third with a fielder's choice grounder to second to give the Coast a 7-6 lead, its first of the game.
Oakland rallied with the tying run in the ninth against Coast closer Zach Voelker. Esai Santos drew a one-out walk and Jake Allgeyer singled to put the tying run at second. With the count 0-2, Collura chopped a high fastball into center field to score pinch runner T.J. McKenzie and force the game into the knockout round home derby tiebreaker. The hit drove in Collura's third run of the game.
It's Oakland's first knockout round victory of the season and its fifth win in its last six games.
The Ballers continue their three-game home series on Wednesday afternoon against the Long Beach Coast. Right-hander Michael Riley is scheduled to start for Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m from Raimondi Park. Fans can tune in beginning at 12:50 p.m on the Oakland Ballers YouTube Channel and HomeTeam Network.
