Legends On To The Playoffs!!

After splitting the first two games of their weekend series, the Menlo Park Legends and Neptune Beach Pearl were ready to play game three as if the playoffs had already started. Legends Manager David Klein certainly remembered the 7 to 3 Pearl victory in Humboldt that eliminated the 2012 Legends from the Far West Baseball League playoffs. The drama of the winner take all final game of the regular season was gone after the fifth inning as the Legends defeated the Pearl 12 to 3 to clinch the fourth seed in the upcoming Far West Baseball League playoffs.

Andrew Herrera was outstanding on the mound for the Legends and was supported by a potent offense. Dane Vande Guchte was the tremendous with four hits and a walk from the leadoff spot while Danny Miller raised his summer average to .351 with two hits. Geo Saba (4 rbi’s) and Logan Trowbridge (3 rbi’s) produced runs for an offense that generated twelve hits and were gifted nine walks and three hit batters.

Vande Guchte started the game with a single, Trowbridge was hit by a pitch and Danny Miller lined an rbi single to get the Legends ahead 1 to 0 in the top of the first. Herrera threw two scoreless innings for the Legends to maintain the narrow lead until the top of the third. Vande Guchte opened with a single, Geo Saba, Danny Miller, Matt Glomb and Pierson Jeremiah all drew walks, and Kyle Zirbes produced a run with an rbi force out to make it a 4 to 0 Legends lead. This chased Pearl starter Nate Villegas from the game.

Herrera allowed a run in the bottom of the third, but the Legends lengthened the lead in the fourth on singles by Vande Guchte, Trowbridge and Miller. The game was all but over after a five run Legends fifth that saw Ian Josh single, Antonio Freschet double, Vande Guchte and Trowbridge draw walks and Geo Saba drive a long grand slam over the College of Alameda fences and an 11 to 1 Legends lead.

The Pearl answered with two runs on singles by Jordan Simon, Derek Nakasato and Myles Babbit in the bottom of fifth to close the lead to 11 to 3. Vande Guchte stroked an rbi double in the top of the sixth, his fourth hit of the game, to plate the final run of the game.

Herrera finished seven strong innings, allowing only 3 runs on nine hits. Adam Frank completed the eighth and Nick Medeiros closed out the ninth with a 1-2-3 performance. Luckily none of the neighborhood outfield geese were interested in joining in the celebration around the pitcher’s mound.

Legends players Danny Miller, Ian Josh, Andrew Herrera and D J Zapata will be off to Marysville on Tuesday July 30th to participate in the All-Star game between the Horizon Air Summer Series and Far West League All Stars at Appeal Democrat Park at 7:00 pm. The Legends team will then make their way off to Humboldt to compete in the league playoffs starting August 2nd with the Humboldt Crabs, Top Speed Baseball and the California Warriors.

Former Legends Tyger Pederson got his minor league career started over the weekend with the AZL Dodgers and collected his first professional hits. Congratulations Tyger!

Manager David Klein thanked all the interns for their hard work during the summer at the last home game at Canada. The interns put in lots of hours behind the scenes of the games to help make the Legends a success. The interns get great experience in the working for a baseball team.