Ballers Beat Owlz 5-1, Again

By Nevada Cullen

OAKLAND, Calif. -- So nice, they did it twice. The Ballers topped the Northern Colorado Owlz 5-1 Thursday night, following a win on Wednesday by the same scoreline.

Once again, Oakland pitching ruled the day. After allowing one run on three hits Wednesday, the Ballers gave up just one run and four hits Thursday.

Justin Kleinsorge, one of the Pioneer League's top pitchers in 2023, got the start in his Oakland debut. He lived up to the billing, tossing four scoreless innings and striking out five.

Meanwhile, Myles Jefferson kickstarted the offense in the second inning. He lined an RBI double to left field to hand the Ballers an early 1-0 edge. Jefferson finished with two hits, bringing his total to six through the first three games of the series.

Payton Harden looped a double down the left-field line to lead off the bottom of the third for the Ballers. Later in the frame, Dondrei Hubbard plated Harden with an infield single.

In the fourth, two more runs came home when Brad Burckel ripped a grounder towards Northern Colorado first baseman Dave Matthews, who saw the ball leak under him and into right. The error extended Oakland's advantage to 4-0.

With two outs in the fifth, Jaylen Smith smashed Nathan Draves' full-count offering to left center for a solo shot. Smith's fifth big fly of the year was also his second in as many days for the Ballers.

Five runs turned out to be plenty for Oakland, as reliever Brody Eglite was nails for innings five through eight. He earned the win, pitched a season-high four frames and struck out four. The lone run Eglite surrendered scored on a pop-fly double that blended in with the night sky.

A slick defensive play by Jefferson at short and a 4-6-3 double play aided Abraham De Leon, who threw a scoreless ninth. The Ballers are just one game back of second place in the PBL after their win because the Boise Hawks and Glacier Range Riders both lost on Thursday night.

"So You Think You Can Dance, Oakland" night is on Friday with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. So, make your way out to Raimondi Park to see if the Ballers can dance their way into second place. And as always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer.