Game 32 Recap: Land of Enchantment
Oakland Flips Season Script but Comes Up Short in Modesto 6-3
By Joe Horton, with reporting from Modesto by Dan Silvert
I’m writing this from Santa Fe. New Mexico somehow snagged for itself the state nickname, “The Land of Enchantment.” And for much of this game, that’s exactly how it felt: a spell in the air that turned the regular B’s season upside down.
B’s pitching ground out inning after inning and gave the team a shot: this was not a Pioneer League or Ballers’ slugfest. Starter Aidan Risse turned in one of the young season’s best performances, magicking nine hits over seven innings and giving up only four runs while striking out four. Our man at the game Dan Silvert said, “Risse has gone 117 pitches through 7 and dude is a gamer.”
“I did have some good results today and I felt great out there,” Risse wrote to Dispatches after the game. “Mostly used the sinker and was able to locate it and let the defense make plays. The changeup and sweeper worked well keeping their hitters off balance. I was able to use all five pitches tonight too so that added to my ability to go deeper into the game. Overall, pleased with the results and ready to get back to work.”
B’s bats, which have carried the team so often this season, had a rare game of disenchantment. Oakland only managed six hits, led by a first inning two-run homer from Jake Allgeyer that gave the visitors a jolt early. “I was looking for something over the middle of the plate I could hit hard somewhere and find a gap,” wrote Allgeyer about that at-bat. “Ended up getting something I could handle and just tried to keep it simple and not do too much.” As to his overall approach right now, he said, “Feeling good at the plate. Just trying to keep seeing pitches and when they’re in my zone do my best to put good swings on them.”
New Baller Brendan O’Sullivan accounted for the rest of the scoring, as he recorded his first RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. “I feel like I’m starting to really get settled in and get into my groove,” wrote O’Sullivan. “Was just trying to stay inside a fastball there and drive something into the outfield. Got the result I wanted and it helped the team the best I could then.”
Too often this season the Ballers have played catchup, sometimes with substantial margins that can’t be overcome. This game stayed close. “Boys are battling,” Dan reported in the opening innings. “Feels like this one is punch-for-punch early.”
The final punches, however, were Modesto’s. In the eighth, Michael Riley replaced Risse and hit Tyler Williams, who was then caught stealing. Riley walked red-hot Max Handron and then Kingston Liniak, who then both advanced on a wild pitch. Jacob Lojewski then did the damage, doubling to left field and giving the Roadsters a cushion they would not relinquish. The B’s went down in order in the top of the ninth, but it was a game that felt winnable all night. Dan put it best: “They battled tonight. I’m optimistic.”
***
I can’t go too long without baseball, so I found a Pecos League game down the road. The Santa Fe Fuego against the Grand Junction Razorback Suckers. You think the Pioneer League likes scoring? It was 8-6 after two. The final score was 32-23. The high desert wind was terrible and whipped dirt into the players’ faces and all through the sparse stands. My sweating soda can was covered in a dusty film. When the home team hit a homer, two fans passed a hat for spare bills. No matter the league, I believe good players play because they love it. I know fans stay because they love it. The Fuego did a kids-run-the-bases, but it was in a middle of the game inning break. The whole home squad got out of their dugout and formed a celebratory tunnel for the kids to run through at the end. A guy in the stands saw my B’s shirt, said he was originally from the Bay Area and wished he could be back to catch a game. He asked how the team was, how the experience was. I struggled to find a succinct, non-crazed-fan way of answering. I flashed to the players’ tunnel, that baseball magic flipped for a moment with the players cheering for the fans. Then I thought about our guys signing autographs on Sundays or visiting animal shelters or reading to kids at libraries while finding time to compete. “Somehow, it feels like we’re all in it together,” I said. “And I never take that for granted.”
Odds & Ends:
“Big fox costume budget down here,” Dan observed. Yes indeed, the Roadsters have two fox mascots, Cruiser and Crooner, and also a leprechaun, Rally O’Malley. That’s a boffo booster budget, as Variety would say.
Dan got a little clarification from pitching coach Jim Dedrick on his instant-classic ejection back in Missoula. “Dedrick just told me he didn’t do shit to get run in Missoula; he was telling his catcher to go talk to the pitcher and the ump had rabbit ears.”
“Let’s go Byungyong, send it to Oakland” was the hometown cheer for 2B Byungyong Choi to send the ball out, to which the B’s dugout responded with a point to the actual geography, “Oakland’s that way.”
Modern Woodmen Park gets a thumbs-up. “Nice ballpark,” wrote Dan. “Lots of upgrades since Modesto Nuts days.”
With additional reporting and photos from Dan Silvert.
Joe Horton is the editor of Dispatches from Raimondi.
