Gold Sox rally late to edge Redding in 11th

After coming off a two-week stretch that saw them play 10 games in 11 days, the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox may have been a little rusty Thursday night against the Redding Colt .45's.

Throught the first eight innings of play the Gold Sox offense was only able to muster one run on six hits, but with their backs against the wall, the Gold Sox came through in the ninth inning.

Nick Ramos had a two-out, RBI-single to cut the deficit to 3-2 and Dan Black tied the game up on a ground ball up the middle to tie the score at 3-3.

The game's deciding blow came in the botttom of the 11th when first baseman Jeff McCall laced a clutch, two-out shot up the middle to knock in Sal Rivera from third and give Yuba-Sutter a 4-3 victory.

"We're a real positive team and if we fall behind we know we have a chance to come back," McCall said. "We're jsut as good as any team we've played all summer long."

Thursday's extra-inning win was Yuba-Sutter's seventh extra-inning game this season and fifth victory over the Redding Colt .45's. The Gold Sox opened the 2008 season with a four-game sweep over Redding in May.

Manager Jack Johnson said his team came out and fell asleep for eight innings, but was pleased with the way his team picked themselves up in the late innings.

"For every game that is played on the schedule you have to approach it with a passion," Johnson said. "I think we did that in the ninth inning and I think they learned something about the expectations of this ballclub."

Black knocked in the first run of the night in the bottom of the third with a bloop single up the middle to score Kristian Sifuentes from second base to put Yuba-Sutter up 1-0.

The Colt .45's answered right back in the top of the fourth. Travis Higgs doubled down the left field line to knock in Andy Swenson from second to even the score at 1-1.

Redding broke open the tie in the top of the seventh inning with a little help from some shaky defense by the Gold Sox.

Redding's Kenny Button reached second base on a throwing error from shortstop Nick Ramos to lead off the inning. After an infield single from Evan Peters, Alex Lyons knocked in Button from third with an RBI-groundout to put the Colt .45's ahead 2-1.

Redding pushed across another run in the top of the eight on a wild pitch to increase its lead to 3-1.

Ramos set a new Gold Sox record by stealing his 30th base of the season in the first inning. The previous record was held by R.C. Dickerson, who swiped 29 bags in 2004.

Black finished the night 3-for-6 with two RBIs and McCall was 2-for-6. McCall hit cleanup for the Gold Sox and was happy to be at the right place at the right time in the eleventh inning.

Yuba-Sutter is now 6-1 in extra inning contests this season.

"We turn the intensity on in these extra innings games," McCall said. "The key for our team is battling and getting the next guy on base."

The Gold Sox will now welcome in the Seaside Wildcats for a three-game, Horizon Air Summer Series matchup. The Wildcats are sitting atop the Gary Engelken Division after finishing dead-last in 2007.

The Wildcats need to win all three games this weekend to claim the division title.

"We've got to worry about the way we play the game," Johnson said. "If we approach the game with intensity and a lot of heart I think that we're going to be in every ballgame."

Contact sports reporter Jimmy Graben at jgraben@appealdemocrat or at 749-4720.