Bufford KOs Colorado Springs, Ballers Take Seventh Straight Series
Ballers Improve to 45-15 on the Season
By Nevada Cullen
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Christian Hall defeated Cam Bufford in Thursday's knockout round victory for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Hall launched a triplet of homers, and Bufford bashed just one.
So, when Sunday's series finale ended in a 5-5 tie, both teams knew who to send to the plate. Colorado Springs rolled with Hall to defend his crown, and Oakland backed Bufford to get revenge.
Hall managed a pair of big flies before using up all five outs. Not bad for a lefty going to the opposite field, but one shy of his total from Thursday.
Bufford needed two to force a second round and three to win. He left the yard once in his first four swings.
On his next two hacks, Bufford clubbed two monster mashes to claim victory for the Ballers on Halloween in July. With Bufford's knockout round triumph, Oakland sealed its seventh consecutive series win.
The game itself was a close contest. Gabe Tanner got the start for the Ballers and recorded his first career quality start, going six innings for the first time as a professional.
Oakland trailed 3-2 in the sixth, but Nick Leehey led off the bottom of the inning with a game-tying solo shot to right field. After a Lou Helmig double, Jake Allgeyer gave the Ballers a 4-3 edge with an RBI knock, his second run-scoring hit of the afternoon.
Colorado Springs evened the terms in the seventh. Brett Roberts started the frame by blasting a solo bomb to left, his second home run of the day.
The Ballers grabbed the lead right back with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, the Sky Sox found a way to knot the score again with a Quintt Landis RBI double in the ninth.
Oakland could not walk it off for a second straight game. But, Bufford took care of business in the knockout round for the second time this season (he bombarded Glacier with five in one round in Kalispell in June).
Next week, for the first time in forever, the Ballers face their archrivals: the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. First pitch from Marysville for the series opener is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT Tuesday. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.
