Legends Take One Run Win over Long Beach
Redwood City, Calif. – No, if you were at the Canada College or listening to the game on the Legends Radio Network, you were not hearing or seeing double. The Menlo Park Legends were in fact taking on another Legends team, the Long Beach Legends. In the beginning of a two-game series, both Legends teams put on quite the show for the home fans of Menlo Park, but it was the home team that got the best of the visitors. Menlo Park pulled ahead for good in the bottom of the sixth and eventually won the game by a final score of 6-5. Menlo Park improves to 11-5-1 on the summer while Long Beach falls to 10-11-1.
The teams traded runs in the first inning, but Menlo Park was able to tack on one more than Long Beach scored. RJ Williams led off the bottom of the first with a double into the corner in left field and Philip Caulfield followed with a walk. After a Nick Brooks single loaded the bases, Sean Watkins delivered a two-run single into centerfield to put Menlo Park up 2-1. The lead would not stay long as Menlo Park starter Jacob Wilcox would allow a solo homerun to Long Beach’s Jacob Westin with one out in the second. After two, the game was tied at two.
The Legends put one more on the board in the bottom of the third to reclaim the lead after Caulfield walked with one out and Justin Jacobs moved him to second on a single. With two outs, Watkins hit a ball to the third baseman for Long Beach who botched the routine grounder and loaded the bases. With Turner Bishop hitting, a wild pitch scored Caulfield from third and gave Menlo Park a 3-2 lead.
Wilcox would settle down for Menlo Park and pitch six effective innings. The line score might leave some room for improvement, but all things considered it was a solid third start for Wilcox. He went 6 innings, allowed 8 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. The third run came in the top of the sixth with two outs again as Westin would deliver a game-tying double to left center. After a strikeout to end the frame, Wilcox left the field wondering if he would have a chance for a win.
His offense would back him up in the bottom of the sixth as the Legends scored three times to get back in front. Watkins led off with a single, and Bishop followed with a single of his own. After a well-executed sacrifice bunt from Ryan Rosa, Lane Robinette got the first run on the board with an RBI-groundout to second base. Then Menlo Park used their own bit of two-out magic as Clayton Casey pinch-hit and delivered an RBI-single, and two batters later Caulfield reached base for the forth time in the game with a run-scoring single. This put Wilcox back in line for the win, a win he would eventually earn.
Ryan Lefner relieved Wilcox of his duties and pitched the seventh and eighth. A shaky start to the eighth saw Long Beach put two runs on the board with just one out and two more runners on base. Lefner was able to induce a routine ground ball to third that was turned into an inning-ending double play to end the threat before pitching a one-two-three top of the eighth. Jake Swiech came on for the ninth inning and made it look easy, retiring Long Beach in order and securing the second CCL win of the summer for Menlo Park.
The series will wrap up with game two against Long Beach on Friday at 5:00, once again at Canada College. Coverage will be provided on the Legends Radio Network. One side note about Wednesday’s tie against Neptune Beach…the game will be completed, beginning in the top of the 12th, at a future date when the two teams play again.
