FIRST WIN IS GOLD
11/3/2010 3:47:00 PM | Baseball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- E.J. Roland led off the eighth with a single and scored what turned out to be the winning run on a sacrifice fly three batters later to lift Gold to a 4-3 win in Game Three of the Blue/Gold Fall World Series. Gold now trails Blue, 2-1, heading into Friday's Game Four.
Behind starter Mike Barro, Gold built up a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh when Blue scored three runs to tie it up. Hits by Matt Daugherty and Dave Kleveno and a walk to Luke Esquerra loaded up the bases with one out. Zach Esquerra's doubled in Daugherty and Kleveno to make it 3-2 prompting Gold to call out reigning GSAC Pitcher of the Year Drew Madrigal from the pen.
With runners at second and third, Madrigal tried to pick off Zach Esquerra at second, but the failed attempt allowed the tying run to score.
In the top half of the eighth Roland led off with a single off Daugherty and was bunted over by Jordan Kiesz. A bunt single by Ryan Douglass put runners at the corners with one out. Eric Zaragoza came up and hit a sacrifice fly to score Roland. That was all Madrigal needed as he slammed the door shut with a brilliant eighth and ninth to close it out and had Gold their first win of the series.
Roland was the only the only Gold hitter who had multiple hits going 2-for-3 in addition to scoring the winning run. Barro went 6.1 innings, giving up three runs, ten hits and striking out five.
Blue starter Jon Bengard went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned), scattering six hits and striking out four. Daugherty was 2-for-4 at the plate and scored a run. Zach Esquerra was 3-for-3 and drove in two runs for Blue.
Game Four will be a seven inning game on Friday Nov. 5 at 2:30 p.m. Gold looks to even up the best-of-five series behind All-GSAC lefty Taylor Siemens.
