Leslie Goes Yard Twice in Team's First Shutout

By Nevada Cullen

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In just his fourth start for the Ballers, Josh Leslie provided a pair of solo shots in a 3-0 win over the Great Falls Voyagers on Saturday at Raimondi Park. Christian Cosby and Derrick Cherry combined to blank the Voyagers, resulting in the first shutout victory in the team's inaugural season.

Cosby turned in a near-perfect performance in his ninth start of the year. He allowed only three baserunners on two hits and an error over six innings of work. The righty fanned nine Voyagers, extending his Pioneer League leading total to 75 strikeouts on the season.

He gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Major to begin his outing. Then, Cosby struck out the side to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

With two outs in the second, Leslie left the building for the first time as a Baller. He sent a solo bomb to left against Great Falls starter Matthew Hickey.

Two innings later, Leslie doubled the lead. He took Hickey deep for the second straight at bat to give Oakland a 2-0 edge in the fourth.

Cosby completed his day with his third strikeout of Xane Washington and ninth of the afternoon to end the sixth inning. Finally, Cherry took over in the seventh, and retired the side in order in the frame.

But Cherry wasn't done. He came back out for the eighth and put up another zero, even after a leadoff double. He defended his position well in that inning, erasing a runner at home on an attempted safety squeeze.

As if two innings weren't enough, Cherry returned for the ninth inning. He diced up the Voyagers in the final frame, punching out the side to finish the three-inning save and secure the first shutout in Ballers history. Also, it served as Cherry's first professional save.

The first half of the PBL season concludes Sunday, with first pitch for the series finale against Great Falls slated for 1:05 p.m. PDT. As always, you can listen on 860 AM The Answer.