Gold Sox fall in extra frames

It took nearly four hours and 13 innings for the Gold Sox to lose their season-worst third game in row.

"It's frustrating loss; we played hard," manager Jack Johnson said. "In the game of baseball you get into a funk and we caught a funk bug."

The team is feeling a little under the weather after the San Jose Seals plated a pair of runs in the top of the 13th to seal a series sweep over Yuba-Sutter with a 4-3 victory.

But lost in the wake of the exasperating loss was an impressive start from Andy Hebrard, whose two earned runs over nine innings was only enough to get a no decision.

The hurler had started just one game all season and after a rough first inning did something no other Yuba-Sutter pitcher has accomplished all season by taking the hill in the ninth inning. The result — a workmanlike 1-2-3 inning that proved that the pitcher was improving frame by frame.

"He wanted that ball game for us, he laid it on the line," Johnson said. "He had no fear, he's one of those guys that has no fear. I think we're playing a little scared."

Before sailing through the second through ninth frames, Hebrard gave up three consecutive hits to start the game. Adam Greenberg took advantage of the bases loaded opportunity with a single of his own to plate a pair.

Yuba Sutter's offense was held at bay thanks Seals hurler Kendall Davis. The Sonoma State product fanned eight over eight innings, including striking out the side in the first.

The Gold Sox first crossed the plate in the fifth inning after Adrian Perez singled in Devin Braden, who reached on a fielder's choice. Dan Black would tie the game after the Seals catcher threw the ball into center field on a pick-off play.

After Hebrard completed his tenure on the mound, he was relieved by Jeff Fischer-Gasper, who pitched a pair of innings, and Scott Harlan, who was pulled with the bases loaded in the 13th after giving up an RBI single.

The Seals added what would be the winning run after Brett Shankin hit a batter with the bases juiced.

In the last frame, Yuba-Sutter started to make a two-out rally that was kick-started by a Perez double to center. He was promptly brought in by a Max Stassi single who would move over to third after Christian Garcia was hit by a pitch and Justin Lamb walked.

Then with the bases loaded, Andy Quiring grounded out to first to end the Sox's first extra-inning game of the season.

Afterward, with a few of the announced crowd of 478 that stayed filing out of All Season's RV Stadium, Johnson kept his message to his players brief because he knows that the team has the skills to bust out of their current funk, he said.

"Just like this team can lose three in a row, we can go off and win eight," Johnson said.