Paul Delos Santos had a nice article in The Spectrum detailing the Roadrunners nabbing a win from LB
Long Beach Press TelegramST. GEORGE - When the Long Beach Armada put up three runs in the first inning, it was deja vu of Thursday's game.
However, the game went in a completely different direction as the St. George Roadrunners' offense returned and put up six runs in the first three innings in the 9-6 victory Friday over the Armada in front of 709 fans.
"It was good to see the team bounce back and have a good game," St. George manager Cory Snyder said. "(Long Beach's) offense is going to be there. It's the first inning. It's a long game. I'm not panicking. It's one of those things we'll have to learn as we go on."
The win marked the first time that the Roadrunners (1-1) claimed victory on a Friday in franchise history. The two teams are set to play again today at 7:05 p.m.
The offense returned again for the Roadrunners. They smacked 13 hits Thursday in a losing effort, but failed to string them together to generate runs. It wasn't the case Friday, as the Roadrunners bunched together their hits allowing them to build the lead.
The Roadrunners claimed their lead in the bottom half of the third inning. The Armada (1-1) was up 4-3, but throwing mistakes by the shortstop and third baseman allowed the St. George players to advance.
"We played sloppy in some defensive situations," Long Beach coach Steve Yeager said. "Our defense let us down a little bit. It's one of the secrets of being successful is not beating yourself. We beat ourselves out there."
The defense was also solid for the Roadrunners. Mike Done made a pair of spectacular stops in the first inning, and in the eighth, Brandon Taylor made a run-saving dive and caught Norm Hutchins trying to advance to third.
"(Brandon's play) was unbelievable," Snyder said. "He's been getting good jumps on the ball, and good reads. He knows how to play the game."
Juan Serrano went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles with three RBIs.
Serrano was not listed as an opening day starter. He was a last minute addition, as Brian Martin was scratched before the game, and Serrano stepped into his spot.
Serrano went hitless in the season opener, but came on strong in the second game.
"(Thursday) was about nervousness. It was my pro debut, and I was pressing myself," Serrano said. "(On Friday,) I talked to the veterans pre-game and they told me to have fun and play some baseball."
Martin's injury also caused the Roadrunners to sign Trevor Dimick. Dimick did not disappoint in his debut. He went 3-for-3 with a double and a RBI.
Dimick wasn't on the opening day roster because of roster limitations. He was added on the roster when Martin was placed on the inactive list.
"He had a great spring. It's just one of those things, where he got pushed off (the roster)," Snyder said. "I told him to hang around. He's a great kid and works hard. He did an outstanding job tonight."
Justin Abbott was credited with the win. He went five innings allowing four runs on five hits with four strike outs. Abbott also walked three batters.
"(Justin) did great. He came out, and he's a gamer," Snyder said. "He threw five great innings, and he has a big heart out there. He came out and got it done for us."
The losing pitcher was Nick Bierbrodt. Bierbrodt went five innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits.
"Nick is very capable of doing the job," Yeager said. "He couldn't get his rhythm and couldn't find a release point. He left balls up in some situations. That's not his pitching. His pitching is like the fourth and fifth. If you look up they're all zeroes. That's what we're used to seeing from him.
"He made the adjustments. That's a sign of a ball player. He made the adjustments when he had to."
Notes: Brian Martin injured his back and hamstring, and is listed as day-to-day. He is set to be on the inactive list until Tuesday.
The probable starter today for the Roadrunners is Jason Norderum.
Seven of the 13 Roadrunner hits went for extra bases with six doubles and one home run.
The Roadrunners improve to 15-5 all-time when leading after six innings.
Long Beach Armada pitcher Nick Bierbrodt, a Millikan High graduate, had a tough night - giving up seven runs and nine hits in five innings in a 9-6 loss to St. George in a Golden Baseball League game in Utah. Bierbrodt did have four strikeouts and hit two batters while throwing 98 pitches.
The field was damp but you wouldn't know it by the way the teams came out in the first inning. Long Beach scored three in the first while the Roadrunners brought two across the plate in their half of the frame.
Center fielder Steve Moss led the third inning with a monster shot off the scoreboard for his first home run of the young season giving the Armada a 4-3 lead.
After that it was all St.George as the Roadrunners dropped four runs on Bierbrodt and reliever Dusty Gober.
Brandon Taylor launched one over the left field wall off Gober for a solo home run to extend the St. George lead to 9-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Armada added a run off a pinch-hit single by catcher David Parrish, but that was as close as they would get.
No comments:
Post a Comment