Sox host Salinas tonight
Wednesday, June 1, 2005 - The competition level will be raised this weekend at All Seasons RV Stadium in Marysville.
The Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox host the Salinas Valley Packers in a three-game set beginning tonight at 7:15. The Bend Elks of Oregon visit on Sunday to complete the Horizon Air Summer Series weekend.
The first two games against Salinas are McCullough Division games. Saturday's contest, however, is a non-series game.
Sunday's game against the Elks is a division contest.
The Gold Sox should have nothing to worry about if they continue to dominate on the mound and pick-it clean in the field.
The Gold Sox are 9-3 against Salinas, 7-1 at home, the past two seasons. The Packers are 2-0 in the Summer Series after sweeping the Oakland Expos in a two-game set last week.
The Gold Sox opened the year with a 3-1 series win over Novato last weekend, getting two-hit pitching performances from starters Tyler Pearson and William Krout and committing just two errors defensively. The pitching staff has a 1.00 earned run average.
“What I'm happy with most, is our defense,” Gold Sox manager Brad Peek said. “The infield all played great. Of the two errors, one was by a pitcher (Pearson) and the other was on a tough play. Our defense is outstanding and the pitching was excellent.”
Peek said the team's hitting will come around once the adjustment is made from aluminum to the wood bats. The Gold Sox hit .244 in the opening weekend, and first baseman A.J. Valentine certainly turned a few heads at the park, hitting .500 with five RBIs.
Ricky Bambino will arrive and start behind the plate, calling signals for Kyle Hill, who earned a win on opening-night, scattering six hits and allowing one earned run in six innings, .
“(Hill) will be pitching on six days rest and that should be no problem,” Peek said, adding that Hill pitched on a four-day rotation at Wayne State University in Michigan. “I expect more of the same, but I'd like to see him be more aggressive early in the count. I think he will feel more comfortable and do even better this time.”
Pearson will start Friday, Matt Huff will go Saturday and Krout is slated to pitch Sunday, his final appearance with the Gold Sox. Krout, who graduated from Sonoma State last month, is working out with the Gold Sox until the amateur draft on June 7.
Pitchers Steve Alverson, Kody Keroher and Wes Porter will be available this weekend along with catcher Jon Norfolk, from the University of San Francisco. Billy Krause joins the team but will not be activated. He is recovering for arthroscopic knee surgery.
