St. Pierre Throws Six Scoreless, Tatum Keeps Homering in 15-2 Beatdown
Oakland Takes a 2-1 Series Lead
By Nevada Cullen
BOISE, Idaho -- The Ballers continue to score runs in bunches, plating 10 or more runs for the sixth straight contest on Thursday. Oakland bested the Boise Hawks 15-2, bringing home six in the third and adding four in the sixth in a blowout victory.
Zach St. Pierre appreciated the run support, but didn't need much. He allowed just three hits in six shutout innings, his first scoreless start of the season.
While St. Pierre kept everything in the park, his catcher, Dillon Tatum, can't stop leaving the yard. For the third time in the last four games, Tatum served up a pair of taters.
Tatum has six long balls and 16 RBI over his last four games. If you think there's a hotter hitter on the planet than the Stockton native, you're just plain wrong.
Darryl Buggs II opened the scoring for Oakland in the second. He lined a two-out, RBI single into left center on the first pitch he saw.
The Ballers broke the game open early with their six-run third inning. Nick Leehey, who entered after Christian Almanza was hit by a pitch in the shoulder, followed in Almanza's footsteps with a bases-loaded, two-run single up the gut.
A couple batters later, Tatum rocked his first round tripper. He curled a three-run shot to left to extend Oakland's advantage to 6-0.
Tremayne Cobb Jr. capped off the six-spot with an RBI single. He finished with three hits for a second consecutive night.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Tatum floated a fly ball to right field. Despite a 39-degree launch angle, he cleared the wall for his second big fly of the ballgame, this time a solo blast.
Oakland inflated its cushion to 12-0 with a four-run sixth. Cam Bufford stroked a bases-loaded, two-run base hit up the middle in the frame.
Daniel Harris IV kicked a field goal, clearing the bases with a three-run double in the ninth. Adam Bogosian pitched a couple of innings, and Ryan Pierce made his first professional pitching appearance in the ninth for the Ballers.
The second-place Ballers face the Hawks for the fourth game of the six-game series Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PDT. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer.
