Bakersfield Loses Wild One in 13

Bakersfield fell behind 6-1 in the bottom of the seventh only to come back and tie the game in the eighth. They took a one run lead in the top of the 13 before allowing two in the bottom of the inning. Billy Hamilton went 3-6 with a walk and a triple to raise his average to .359. Tony Cingrani had another strong outing when he held the 66ers to one run in six innings.

Bakersfield took a one run lead into the bottom of the 13th inning before losing at Inland Empire last night 8-7. The Blaze had previously overcome a five run deficit when they scored five of their own in the eighth. Catcher Chris Berset hit his first home run of the season for the go-ahead run in the 13th before the 66ers came back with two to win it. Billy Hamilton went 3-6 to raise his average to .359. David Vidal tied the game 1-1 with his seventh home run in the fourth. Bryson Smith and Juan Duran also added two hits each.

The score was much higher than expected for a game started by Blaze ace Tony Cingrani. That was because most of 66er runs were scored after he left. He held the opponent to one run on four hits and a walk over six innings while striking out eight. The lefthander now has a 0.68 ERA and 0.825 WHIP after seven starts. He’s shown great command of his pitches by putting up a 53/10 K/BB ratio. The bullpen contributed two scoreless innings each from Brian Pearl and Ryan Kiel. Michael Griffin started the final inning and was charged with his third loss.

The Blaze have an off-day today and will return home for a four game set with Stockton Monday.

Other News from the Farm:

Louisville lost 5-3 after visiting Lehigh Valley scored two runs in the top of the tenth. The Bats took a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning which included an RBI double by Willie Harris who had two hits on the night. Jeff Francis had a quality start despite giving up ten hits and three home runs. Carlos Fisher finished the game and took his second loss. Former Red Jeremy Horst won his second for the IronPigs. Third baseman Mike Costanzo was promoted to the Reds yesterday to replace Scott Rolen who went on the DL. The 28 year old third basemen is very close to his major league debut after playing in the minors for eight seasons.

Pensacola’s game against Birmingham at Blue Wahoo Field was suspended in the first inning. They will finish it and play a second game against the Barons today.

Billy Hamilton Theft Watch:

In the third inning last night Hamilton got on by a bunt single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and then stole third. He reached base again in the fifth on a triple. He singled again in the eighth but did not have an open base in front of him. He reached again via a walk in the 13th and swiped second before being stranded at third. He now has 35 steals in 32 games.

Lancaster jumped on the Dragons early and never took their foot off the accelerator in a 16-4 win at Dayton. Juan Perez and Ryan Wright both had three hits in the losing cause. Josef Terry added two more including his first home run. Starter Daniel Tuttle failed to make it out of the second inning and took his second loss.