Legends Win Eighth Straight Game before All-Star Game
Palo Alto, Calif. – After enjoying an off-day on Monday and moving to a home facility in Baylands Athletic Center, the Menlo Park Legends did not skip a beat and kept right to their winning ways. Tuesday’s opponent was the Bercovich Gold and the result was similar to that of the week prior: the Legends continued to win. A six-run fifth inning was the catalyst behind the 9-6 victory for the Legends, and their eighth consecutive win dating back to a doubleheader last Wednesday. The streak has run the Legends record up to 23-11 while the remain 10-8 in CCL competition.
The fifth inning was really the difference maker in the game, not just because the Legends scored six times but they all came with two outs and they all came with a little help from the public address sound system. With two outs and Justin Jacobs on first base, baseball-themed organ music began playing from the speakers at Baylands Athletic Center in between pitches and batters. Ryan McCarthy responded by walking to put two runners on base. Harmless. Sean Watkins responded with a double that scored Jacobs and broke the 3-3 tie and gave the Legends their first lead of the game. As a result, the music kept being played. Dempsey Grover doubled to the wall in the left field corner to score McCarthy and Watkins and the Legends were up 6-3. Scott Ota proceeded to double Grover home. Sean McMillan followed with a bloop-double to left-center that scored Ota. Maclin Badger, forced into action with the Legends being short offensive players, did not follow with a fifth consecutive double, but he did reach second base after a throwing error from the second baseman for the Gold. Five consecutive players recorded a batted ball and reached second base, all of them driving home runs and the Legends took a 9-3 lead. The organ music subsided, and the Legends did not score another run in the game. Coincidence?
Scott Ota was the story for Menlo Park on offense, falling just a homerun shy of the cycle as part of a 3-4 effort. He tripled home a run in the second, singled home a run in the fourth, and hit his double that scored one in the fifth. The Legends only recorded eight hits in the game, but took advantage of five Bercovich errors and six free passes received. Five Legends pitchers combined in the winning effort, with Elijah Saunders getting the start and going the first two innings. Sheldon McClelland took over for two and did not allow a hit, Jameson Kruger pitched a scoreless fifth and earned the win, while Matt Bergandi and Alexander Hernandez took care of the final four frames. Hernandez earned his second save of the summer, but almost blew it in the eighth after he loaded the bases with two outs. He induced a groundout back to the mound to end the threat and preserve a 9-6 win for Menlo Park.
The California Collegiate League All-Star game is Wednesday night in Compton. Three Legends will be representing Menlo Park at the game: Nick Brooks, RJ Williams, and Clayton Casey. The game will begin at 7:00 PM and is televised live on Fox Sports 1 (check your local provider for channel information). Following the game, the Legends will return to CCL action with a pivotal game against the Pearl on Thursday at Baylands. First pitch is at 5:00 and will be broadcasted on the Legends Radio Network.
