Turnabout results in loss for Gold Sox
The Gold Sox claimed one of their wildest games of 2003 when Lukas Kirby was plunked by the San Francisco Seals with the bases loaded in the 13th inning.
The Seals turned the tables on Yuba-Sutter on Thursday.
Blake Knabenshue (3-1) hit Chris Willammee with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, forcing home Matt Edgecomb for the winning run as San Francisco pulled out a wild 8-7 win at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg.
The two teams split the California Collegiate League series.
The Gold Sox (19-6, 9-5) were a strike away from a 7-3 win in the ninth, but the Seals (7-13, 4-9) proceeded to score four times against reliever Brennan Garr. Willammee had a two-run single, and Mike McIntyre a bloop RBI single. The Seals scored the tying run on an errant throw to second base, which scored Willammee.
Yuba-Sutter second baseman Frank Jeney extended his hitting streak to 12 games and drove in four runs.
Jeney's three-run triple in the eighth inning gave the Gold Sox a four-run cushion. Ryan Angel, Kyle Maunus and Mark Steinbeck all scored on the hit.
Jeney also had a run-scoring double in the fourth inning.
The Gold Sox scored three times on two hits in the first inning. Two of those came on Buddy Morales' two-run triple.
Nic Waechter pitched seven strong innings and looked like he was headed for his third win of the year. Wes Porter pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Yuba-Sutter begins a four-game homestand today in Marysville. The Gold Sox have a single game today against the Solano Thunderbirds and then three against a tough Maxim Yankees team Friday through Sunday. Even though Solano is in the CCCL, the game will not count in the league standings.
Gold Sox manager Brad Peek said Eric Thompson (3-1, 1.71) will start today, Jason Searle (3-1, 1.17) on Friday and Vince DeCoito (1-1, 1.72) Saturday or Sunday. He's undecided about the other day.
The Yankees are 7-8 overall but have won six of their last seven, including the championship of the Best of the West Tournament at Stanford's Sunken Diamond. They beat the Santa Barbara Foresters in the semifinals and the San Luis Obispo Blues in the championship.
Maxim features ex-Gold Sox Archie Gilbert, who hit .409 at Hayward State this past year and was a second team All American.
Yankees manager Jeff Thomas said Corey Cabral (San Jose State's No. 2 pitcher), Eric Barbic (University of the Pacific) and Vince Boyanich, a former Santa Clara standout, are the likely starters for the series.
Notes: Sunday's Fourth of July game will end around 9:35 p.m. (regardless of the score) to accommodate fireworks at 9:45. Last year's July 4 crowd was the biggest of the season.
The Appeal-Democrat sports department can be reached at 743-0512. You may e-mail the editor at eric_vodden@link.freedom.com.
