Suleski's slam powers Sox
June 16, 2006
It was a sleepy crowd for five innings at All Seasons RV Stadium Thursday night.
Then Matt Suleski came to the plate.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning, Suleski turned on an 0-1 fastball and blasted it into the night, over the wall in left field, over the net above the wall and finally out onto B Street behind the stadium.
Even then it took a moment for the 612 fans in attendance to realize what had happened, but by the time Suleski crossed home plate, they were all on their feet, cheering the first Yuba-Sutter grand slam of the season.
The Gold Sox (12-1, 9-1) scored five runs in the decisive fifth inning and then cruised to a 13-6 win in the first of three Horizon Air Summer Series games with the visiting San Diego Stars.
“It was a fastball, middle in,” Suleski said. “I was just trying to focus on getting that runner in from third. ... It felt really good coming off the bat.”
It was Suleski's first home run in a Gold Sox uniform. He has been struggling at the plate so far this summer - he's currently hitting just .192 - but all of that was forgotten as he was mobbed by his teammates at home plate, including rally-cap wearing Given Kutz and Alex Zanini.
“It couldn't have happened to a better guy,” Yuba-Sutter manager Brad Peek said. “He's had his ups and downs the past two weeks, but he's working really hard before and during batting practice. I told him he just needs to make baby steps first.”
The win is the team's 10th in a row, tying a franchise record.
After going 0-for-4 Sunday, Doug Thennis rebounded with a 4-for-5 performance that included a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Joél Torres, A.J. Valentine, Jonny Norfolk and Jeff Horn each had two hits in the game.
Mike McKeever and Randy Smith scored in the second to put San Diego up 2-0 early. It would be the Stars' only lead of the game, and it only lasted an inning and a half.
Torres and B.J. Collom had back-to-back walks to open the third for the Gold Sox. Torres stole second and then the two pulled off a double steal to put both in scoring position.
Thennis drove home Torres with a single, and Collom tied the game when he scored on a Brett Nightingale grounder to short.
Torres scored again in the fifth to give Yuba-Sutter a 3-2 lead, and Suleski's two-out slam scored Thennis, Nightingale and Jonathan Dees to make it 7-2.
San Diego's Chris Tallman put a ball into the right-field netting for a two-run home run of Tyler Pearson in the top of the sixth, trimming Yuba-Sutter's lead to three, 7-4.
But the Gold Sox broke it open in bottom half of the sixth. Collom, Thennis, Valentine, Dees, Suleski and Jonny Norfolk all scored to put the game out of reach, 13-4.
The Gold Sox sent 10 hitters to the plate in the fifth and 11 in the sixth.
San Diego's Josh Mazzola hit the game's third home run in the top of the seventh, a two-run shot off Matt Edgecombe to make it 13-6.
Alberto Rolon (3-0) started for Yuba-Sutter and got the win. He allowed six hits and two earned runs over five innings. Tyler Pearson came on in the sixth and pitched two innings. Edgecombe and Michael Hall pitched the eighth and ninth, respectively.
San Diego's Ward Minich took the loss.
Notes: Yuba-Sutter's 12-1 start is the best in team history. Å This is the first time the Gold Sox have played the San Diego Stars, and it's the first time any team south of Santa Barbara has traveled to play Yuba-Sutter at All Seasons RV.
Appeal-Democrat reporter Nathan D. Collier can be reached at 749-4714. You may e-mail him at ncollier@appeal-democrat.com.
