Butz Notches Ninth Win, Ballers Take Series Against Hawks
Los Peloteros Derrotan a Las Papas Fritas, 5-2
By Nevada Cullen
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Reed Butz stunted the Boise Hawks over five innings to earn his franchise-record ninth win of the season in Oakland's 5-2 victory Saturday. The Ballers sealed another series win, their 11th straight, by grabbing their third game in a row against the Hawks.
Although it's been a tough month for Butz, the Oakland southpaw showed no signs of struggle with five innings of two-run ball. Butz allowed just four hits and one walk, struck out seven Hawks and retired the last nine he faced to claim his ninth victory.
Boise enjoyed even less success against the other two Ballers to pitch out of the bullpen. First, Luke Short limited the Hawks to just one hit over two scoreless innings of work and punched out a pair.
As for Malik Binns, he has yet to allow a hit as a Baller. Binns kept the Hawks off of the board in the eighth and ninth frames for a two-inning save, the first save of his baseball career.
For the first time this season, Tremayne Cobb Jr., Oakland's leadoff man, launched a leadoff homer. He started the bottom of the first by socking a high fastball over the left-field wall to put the Ballers up 1-0.
Then, the Ballers drew three free passes to load the bases. Jake Allgeyer rolled a ball through the right side to bring home two, extending Oakland's lead to 3-0.
On Thursday night, Dillon Tatum walked off the Hawks with a solo shot against Trey Jones. Facing Jones in the third on Saturday, Tatum took him yard again with a backside boogie to right field, Tatum's 21st tater of the year.
The home run by Tatum gave the Ballers a 5-2 lead, and no more runs came across for either side the rest of the way. Oakland goes for a fourth win in a row in the series finale Sunday.
First pitch for the finale against the Hawks is set for 1:05 p.m. PDT. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.
