Game 28 Recap: It’s Cobb-erin’ Time
“Don'tcha even get a coffee break in this blasted super-heroin' business?” -Ben Grimm, Fantastic Four #68
Oakland Ballers Walk Off Modesto Roadsters 7-5
By Roberto Santiago
WEST OAKLAND—“I love the vibe here. It’s so local and just seems like a real community,” said Maureen (Mo) Loughran, a Berkeley native who was attending her first Ballers game on Juneteenth Celebration Night at Raimondi. She sat in the stands getting the lowdown from friends about the Ballers, the drummers, and what’s available at Prescott Market. “We missed all the action,” she said. “We got here and it was already three-nothing.” Just as she was ruing her timing, there was more action. Up 4-2 in the eighth inning, Modesto Roadsters first baseman Bryce Cannon (there’s a classic baseball name if there ever was one) stole third base, colliding with Ballers third baseman Jake Allgeyer, who had to reach toward foul territory to catch the ball. The throw ticked off of Allgeyer’s glove, allowing Cannon to scurry home while Allgeyer picked himself up off the ground.
The action Mo missed was a familiar sight for Ballers fans this season. Starter Charlie Hurley got into early trouble. A one-out walk to Max Handron was followed by a single that took a huge Raimondi hop over Allgeyer’s head, setting the stage for none other than Bryce Cannon. Cannon hit a no-doubt, three-run moonshot to left to give Modesto an early lead. A solo home run by Kingston Liniak (does Modesto have the best named players in the league?) led off the second and put Oakland in an early hole. But after that, Hurley showed the poise he demonstrated in his start last week in Missoula giving up just one more hit over the next four innings.
“It’s a game of adjustments,” Hurley said afterward. “The sequencing that I was throwing wasn't working. So we had to make some changes, talk to JC [catcher, Jaden Collura], talk to pitching coach Jimmy [Dedrick]. And we did a really good job as a group of just bearing down and kind of pitching more to contact.”
In what was shaping up to be a pitchers’ duel, Roadsters starter Omar Serrano took a no hitter into the fourth inning. Allgeyer broke up the no-no with a double leading off the fourth and Serrano responded by striking out the side.
Ballers coach James Harris was impressed with Serrano’s night. “This starter had three pitches going really well today. He threw the ball well, he challenged us.” Serrano pitched into the eighth inning with a two run homer by Nick Leehey in the fifth as his only real misstep. In the end, Serrano gave up only three hits and struck out ten.
Valek Cisneros replaced Hurley in the top of the seventh and performed his typical middle relief magic. Cisneros was on the hill for Cannon’s mad dash, but that run was unearned. The Ballers made it a one-run game when Tremayne Cobb hit a two run jack behind a walk by Davis Drewek. Coach Harris wasn’t surprised that it was Cobb in the middle of another Ballers comeback bid. “Trey's a returner for us, and we know what to expect out of him, but he's come back with a plan and he's on a mission. He's a much better player than he was last year. He learned a lot and he's proven who he is.”
Matthew Maloney pitched a scoreless ninth to set up a dramatic bottom half of the inning. Luckily for Mo and the rest of the Ballers fans, she hadn’t missed all the action.
The bottom of the ninth saw Cam Bufford lead off with a walk followed by a single from Leehey who was then replaced by pinch runner T.J. McKenzie. After Davis Drewek struck out, Bufford and McKenzie executed a double steal with Cobb at the plate. The maneuver put the tying run 90 feet away and the winning run in scoring position. A fly ball would guarantee the Ballers at least a chance at the knockout round. Given McKenzie’s speed, a base hit would likely win the game.
Cobb decided to leave nothing to chance, parking a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for a walkoff win. It was his second homer of the night, second in as many innings, and the second time on the home stand that Cobb won a game with a big fly. Not even time for a coffee break in this blasted super hero business. Asked about his approach in these situations, he said, “I'm just looking for a pitch over the heart of the plate that I can drive, and they gave me one and I was able to put it over the fence.”
Harris had more to say about Cobb’s heroics late in games, “He belongs in this league and he belongs even higher. So we're hoping that he can continue to keep playing and keep getting better, get an opportunity to potentially get signed. We’ve just been taking it one game at a time and allowing him to play his game. I think that's what's allowing him to do the things that he does. So we don't look too far ahead. We just try to help him game-by-game as we do all the guys.”
Odds and Ends:
Lost in Charlie Hurley’s return last week was the club waiving starter Joel Tornero. Tornero had a promising start to his Ballers tenure in May, going 4 innings and giving up two runs in his pro debut. It was tough sledding after that, as Tornero gave up 10 runs in just one inning combined over his next two appearances.
DO NOT CHALLENGE ICE COLD KENNY TO KNOCKERBALL.
The Oakland bullpen has been joining in on the “We love you Oakland” cheer led by the Oakland 68s drummers each time the Ballers score a run. Last night, the 68s serenaded the bullpen with a round of, “We love you bullpen.”
The Ballers have three new players on the roster this home stand. St. Mary’s alum Dylan Delveccio has been added to the bullpen. Jacob Peterscheim, who made 18 starts over his last two college seasons looks like a candidate for the rotation. Pleasanton native Brendan O’Sullivan has made three appearances over the last three days as an infielder, pinch hitter and pinch runner. Read our interview with him after his first game here. OF Damian Stone and RP Liam Rocha are no longer on the active roster.
Photos and video from Dawn Pieper. Animations from Chris Drue.
Roberto Santiago is a third generation Berkeley boy currently raising the fourth generation. Roberto’s writing has appeared in Latina, Parents, and various online outlets. A lifelong baseball fan, Roberto worked briefly with the Boston Red Sox and once hit an RBI single off Spaceman Lee on a 2-2 changeup. It was his only at bat ever in a real baseball game. Find him on Instagram.
