Millikan Masterful in Oakland's Shutout of High Wheelers
Oakland improves to 67-20 on the season
By Nevada Cullen
MARYSVILLE, Calif. -- The Ballers followed up their first-ever complete game win from Gabe Tanner Wednesday by grabbing their fourth shutout victory of the season Thursday, a 14-0 stomping of the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers. Yuba-Sutter didn't manage a single hit against the Oakland pitching staff after the second inning.
Noah Millikan got the nod for the Ballers and allowed a pair of singles in the first and a double in the second. He held the High Wheelers hitless afterwards and punched out six of them over the course of the contest.
Through back-to-back scoreless starts, Millikan has not allowed a run in his last 16 innings of work. The Milkman tossed seven scoreless frames Friday against the Boise Hawks, and shut Yuba-Sutter down over six in his latest outing.
Caleb Franzen, Adam Bogosian and Connor Sullivan each came on in relief, and none of them allowed a hit, let alone a run. As a result, the Oakland pitching staff recorded its first shutout since July 11, a 9-0 dusting of the Rocky Mountain Vibes.
When Yuba-Sutter starter Christian Womble walked the bases loaded to begin the game, the High Wheelers knew they were in for another long night. Jake Allgeyer smoked a two-run single off of the wall, and Lou Helmig and Dillon Tatum delivered RBI singles on back-to-back pitches to put Oakland ahead 4-0 in the first.
In the second, Christian Almanza smashed a two-run moonshot to right field, increasing the lead to 6-0 for the Ballers with his franchise-record 29th long ball. Later, Almanza became the first Baller to reach 100 RBI in a season with an RBI knock in the ninth.
Tatum rose in the record books in the sixth inning. He swatted a three-run big fly to right field, upping his homer total to 22 and RBI tally to 73, as Tatum now ranks second in franchise history in both categories.
Cam Bufford pulverized a 428-foot solo bomb to center in the eighth, his 19th round-tripper of the year. Also, Nick Leehey tied his season-high with his fourth three-hit night of the season.
First pitch for game four against the High Wheelers is slated for 7:05 p.m. PDT Friday. As always, you can listen to the action on 860 AM The Answer and on the Oakland Ballers YouTube channel.
