Gold Sox come up empty
The Gold Sox pounded out 44 hits and outscored their opponents 28-4 in three previous games of the homestand.
Unfortunately for Yuba-Sutter, the well was rather dry on Sunday night.
San Francisco Seal pitcher Paul Gonzalez threw seven sturdy innings and the Seals salvaged a split in a two-game California Collegiate League series with a 6-0 win in Marysville.
The Gold Sox (18-5, 8-4) lost for only the third time at home this year and were shut out for only the second time in two seasons.
Gonzalez (2-1), a 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander from UC Davis, used an effective fastball, breaking ball and change-up but was hardly overpowering. He scattered three hits, struck out four and walked two before giving way to reliever Dan Brown.
“I think he was right at 85 pitches,” said Seals manager Tony Dress. “I think he might have gotten a little tired because of the heat.”
The Seals play their home games at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg. Yuba-Sutter will head there Tuesday and Wednesday for two more league games.
“Their pitchers outpitched our pitchers today,” said Gold Sox manager Brad Peek. “We just couldn't get anything going offensively, but that's going to happen.”
The Seals' other UC Davis players had an impact in the game as well. Left fielder Aaron Hanke was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and ex-Gold Sox Lukas Kirby had a run-scoring single.
Yuba-Sutter starter Logan Ardis (1-1), making his first start of the year, fought through fits of wildness and took the loss. Ardis (Stanford) allowed three runs, eight hits and walked three over four innings.
Ardis threw 10 straight balls to begin the game with Chris Comages and Chris Williammee each walking. Comages eventually scored on Hanke's single.
San Francisco added a sacrifice fly from Jeff Johnson in the second and an RBI single from Kirby in the fourth.
“I think he started to feel more comfortable in the third and fourth,” Peek said. “I think he just started throwing
instead of thinking about what adjustments he needed to make.”
The Seals (6-12, 3-8) then broke the game open with three in the sixth against reliever Wes Porter. Comages and Greg Fife each had run-scoring singles and Hanke an RBI double.
“Wes was coming off one of those hot streaks, so it was just one of those nights,” Peek said. “He missed location on a couple of 0-2 pitches. They got hits on both of those.”
Peek noted for the second straight night that the Seals are an aggressive offensive team. Dress agreed.
“In the summer, guys need to get better,” he said. “We could have guys bunt all day long, but these guys need to find their strokes.”
Gold Sox third baseman Brennan Garr extended his hitting streak to 14 games after a single in the sixth. Frank Jeney, starting at designated hitter, extended his hit streak to 10 games with a double in the fifth.
Jeney's double was actually the Gold Sox' first hit of the game.
Yuba-Sutter actually had four runners reach second base but none reached third. The Gold Sox left 10 runners stranded.
Notes: Tony Biale, who pitched the fifth, has not given up a run in 17 innings ... Biggs High graduate Mateo Marquez (Cal State Los Angeles) came into play third base for the Seals in the seventh and struck out in his only at-bat.
