Ballers Sweep Doubleheader, Stand Alone Atop Pioneer League

By Nevada Cullen

WINDSOR, Colo. -- The Ballers held on for a 9-7 win in game one of Saturday's twin bill against the Northern Colorado Owlz, and Brett Barrera avenged Thursday's knockout round defeat by beating Dave Matthews in the home-run contest after a 9-9 game in the nightcap. Oakland improved to 23-13 in the second half with the sweep, a record which gives the Ballers sole possession of first place in the second-half standings.

Game One

Noah Martinez put the Ballers on the board in the first inning. He tattooed a two-run bomb to straightaway center field, his third home run of the series and second to dead center.

Jaylen Smith smacked an opposite-field, RBI triple to increase Oakland's advantage to 3-0 in the third. That triple was the first for the Ballers since Josh Leslie's on July 24 at the Yolo High Wheelers.

The Owlz drew within one in the bottom of the third. Dario Gomez slammed a solo shot off of the scoreboard in right center, homering for a fifth straight game and extending his single-season franchise record to 25 long balls on the year. Jackson Coutts sprayed an RBI double to left field to cut the Northern Colorado deficit to 3-2.

The Ballers responded immediately in the top of the fourth. Barrera doubled over the third-base bag to lead off the frame despite slipping on his way out of the box. Tripp Clark lined a single through the left side to get him to third, and Stephen Wilmer stroked a sacrifice fly to center to bring Barrera home.

Then, Leslie cracked a booming triple into left center to plate Clark from first, the second three-bagger of the game for Oakland. Catastrophically, the Owlz committed three costly errors that resulted in three more runs in the frame for the Ballers, growing their lead to 8-2.

Chandler David held the Owlz to just four hits and three runs over five innings to earn the win. He improved to 4-0 on the season, as the Ballers have won in all five of his starts.

Northern Colorado made some serious noise in the ninth. Henry George led off the inning with a solo shot, and Coutts crushed a three-run jack to left center to shrink Oakland's lead to two. But, Conner Richardson retired the next three Owlz after Coutts to seal the 9-7 victory.

Game Two

The Ballers began game two of the doubleheader with a bang. Payton Harden led off the contest with an opposite-field homer, his fourth of the year.

But, the Owlz quickly built a 3-1 lead. Abdel Guadalupe hit a two-run single in the home half of the first, and Matthews sent an RBI single to center in the second.

Brad Burckel tied the contest in the third. He went the other way for a two-run bomb, increasing his RBI total to 12 in the series.

In the midst of a windstorm in the bottom of the frame, Northern Colorado jumped back in front. Evan Scavotto and Euro Diaz lifted back-to-back jacks to left to give the Owlz a 5-3 edge.

Barrera lined a single over second and Brett Carson doubled to left center to begin the fourth. Next, Wilmer bounced a ground-rule double over the left-field wall to square the score at five.

The Owlz grabbed another lead in the bottom of the inning. Guadalupe went yard for the first time this season to create a slender 6-5 cushion.

Oakland claimed its first lead since the game's initial inning in the fifth. Barrera launched a go-ahead, three-run blast to left, his fourth homer of the series, to hand the Ballers an 8-6 advantage.

The lead was short lived, as Northern Colorado knotted the contest at eight in the bottom of the sixth. A wild pitch brought one run home, and George doubled to left center to score the second.

Martinez started the seventh with a single past second, and he was replaced by pinch-runner Zach St. Pierre. Barrera pushed him to third with a single through the right side, and Carson beat out a potential double-play ball to ensure that St. Pierre scored the go-ahead run.

The Owlz tied the game again in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Gomez scorched a hot shot to third to score the tying run, and Barrera threw out pinch runner Johnny Colombo, who had fallen down on the basepaths, at home to deny the Owlz a walk-off win and send the game to the knockout round.

In the knockout round, Barrera walloped three homers for the second time in the series. It seemed like Matthews would be victorious again after homering on his first two swings, but he failed to clear the wall with his next five, and Barrera triumphed in the knockout round.

The Ballers get two days off before their final home series of the regular season, as they host the Idaho Falls Chukars for six games. First pitch for Tuesday's series opener is set for 6:35 p.m. PDT. As always, you can listen on 860 AM The Answer.