Allgeyer, Bufford launch Ballers to fourth straight win
Allgeyer ties game in ninth, Bufford wins it in knockout round
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
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0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 |
By Gareth Kwok
OAKLAND, CA – Behind a game-tying two-run homer from Jake Allgeyer in the ninth and a walk-off homer from Cam Bufford in the knockout round, the Oakland Ballers (4-7, 26-33) defeated the Boise Hawks (6-5, 29-30) in dramatic fashion by a final score of 8-8 on Saturday night from Raimondi Park.
After Thursday's win required three knockout rounds in the home run derby tiebreaker, only one was necessary for Saturday as Bufford hit one homer to defeat Boise's Wyatt Grant, who hit zero.
A six-run second inning helped the Ballers jump out to a 6-1 lead. Jeter Ybarra hammered his league-leading 23rd homer with a solo shot to left-center. After Tristan Moore scored on a wild pitch, Brendan O'Sullivan hit a two-out, two-run homer to left center before Allgeyer launched the first of his two homers with a two-run shot down the left field line to give Oakland its biggest lead of the day.
Starting right-hander Charlie Hurley overcame a leadoff homer and a two-run third inning by Boise to deal 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts in a no-decision.
In their Raimondi Park debuts, Tyler Bates dealt 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out one and Christian Diaz escaped a first-and-second, no-out jam with a popout and a double play to hold Oakland's three-run lead after the eighth.
With Oakland ahead by three entering the ninth, Boise scored five runs on five hits to take its first lead of the game. Ethan Underwood hit a go-ahead three-run homer off Langston Burkett to put the Hawks up one. Avery Neaves added a run with an RBI single, doubling Boise's lead and stunning the Raimondi crowd.
Ybarra ended the ninth with an over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory and a strong throw to the plate to nab Ryan Recio trying to score to keep it a two-run deficit heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Boise closer Zan Rose collected the first two outs of the frame but walked Jaden Collura to prolong the game. Down to his final strike, Allgeyer blasted an inside fastball into the right-field bullpen for a game-tying two-run homer, sending the game into a knockout round home run derby tiebreaker for the second time in three days. It's the first multi-homer game of Allgeyer's professional career.
In the knockout round, Grant failed to homer in five swings, setting the stage for Bufford. It took him less than 30 seconds to hit the one necessary homer deep to left which sealed Oakland's fourth consecutive win.
The Ballers conclude their three-game home series against the Boise Hawks on Sunday, July 26. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m from Raimondi Park. Fans can tune in beginning at 12:50 p.m on the Oakland Ballers YouTube Channel and HomeTeam Network.
