Butz Earns Eighth Victory, Lozano is Grand in Oakland's 50th Win
Ballers Take Series 5-1
By Nevada Cullen
MARYSVILLE, Calif. -- For the fifth time this season, the Ballers are winners of five in a row. Their latest five-game win streak comes against their rivals up north, the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers.
With their 7-4 victory on Sunday night, the Ballers became the first team in the Pioneer League to get to 50 wins on the year. For reference, Oakland didn't reach the half-century mark until Aug. 24 last year.
Reed Butz broke a franchise record with his eighth win of the year, the most by a pitcher in a single season in Ballers history. He delivered his fourth quality start of the season, allowing three runs over six innings and striking out six.
Butz got the run support he needed from his catcher, Tyler Lozano. Batting with the bases loaded and one out in the second, Lozano torched his first professional grand slam, a 422-foot moonshot to left, to put the Ballers ahead 4-0.
Oakland quickly increased its advantage to 6-0 in the third. Cam Bufford led off the frame with a double, and Daniel Harris IV plated Bufford with an 111 mph single into left field.
The High Wheelers made a game of it in the sixth. Mike Campagna rocked a two-run homer to left to bring Yuba-Sutter within three.
Christian Almanza came off the bench and gave the Ballers some insurance. He lined a pinch-hit double to left center and picked up his team-best 73rd RBI in the process.
Conner Richardson hurled a couple of scoreless innings in relief, finishing with a fiery strikeout in the eighth. Then, Dylan Matsuoka closed the door on the 7-4 triumph in the ninth.
Next week, the Ballers host the High Wheelers for six more against their rivals. First pitch for the series opener is slated for 6:35 p.m. PDT Tuesday. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.
