Almanza Puts Oakland Ahead Twice in 10-6 Win
Oakland Wins Series over Glacier
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
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1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | X | 10 | 12 | 2 |
By Nevada Cullen
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Christian Almanza played hero twice in the late innings and drove in five as the Ballers came back to beat the Glacier Range Riders on Saturday, 10-6. With the win, Oakland clinched a series victory and became the first Pioneer League team to reach 20 wins on the season.
Down 3-2 in the fifth, the Ballers put a pair of runners on with two outs for Almanza. The lefty launched a majestic, 417-foot moonshot to center for a three-run jack to hand Oakland a 5-3 lead.
Almanza's eighth long ball of the year only briefly provided an advantage for the Ballers. Two batters into the sixth, Kingston Liniak tied the game with a two-run tater to left, which Davis Drewek nearly brought back from over the wall.
Next, Jack Lynch roped a double to right to get the go-ahead run in scoring position with none out. He eventually scored, and the Range Riders maintained a 6-5 edge through seven innings.
Tyler Lozano, who collected two hits earlier in the contest, reached on an error to start the eighth. In his first professional at bat, Ryan Pierce snuck a pinch-hit double into left to plate Lozano at even the score at six.
Later in the eighth, Oakland loaded the bases with two outs. Almanza shortened his approach with two strikes and laced a two-run single past second to push the Ballers in front for good this time, 8-6.
The Ballers added two more runs for a five-run eighth, and the last six Range Riders struck out to end the ballgame. James Colyer and Connor Sullivan fanned the side in order in the eighth and the ninth, respectively.
Interestingly, each team's leadoff hitter went yard over the course of the evening. Esai Santos led off the game with an opposite-field bomb for the Ballers, and TJ Clarkson smacked his fourth homer in three days for the Range Riders.
Oakland took five of six in Kalispell, and aims to do the same at home, with first pitch for Sunday's matinee with the Range Riders scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PDT. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.
