Heat scorches Baker, win fourth consecutive game
Published 10:56 am Saturday, June 25, 2011
- <p>Devil Oil’s Billy Breckheimer throws from the mound during the Heat’s 15-5 win over Team Rudi Diamondbacks of Baker on Wednesday at Weber Field. Breackheimer survived a shaky first inning to earn the pitching win after he threw five innings.</p>
The Devin Oil Heat dispatched the Team Rudi Diamondbacks from Baker in two mercy rule-shortened games Wednesday at Weber Field.
The Heats Heath Baldock ended the finale with a 3-run blast over the right-center field wall in the bottom of the sixth to enact the 10-run rule in a 15-5 win. Devin Oil ended the opener in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs to win 11-1.
In the opener, Devin Oil used Jesus Rosales on the mound and he went the distance to claim the win. He struck out two and walked two while a re-focused Heat defense played error-free behind him.
They made three errors in the nightcap, but Heat head coach Brent Mattson said his team was able to neutralize and isolate errors to minimize the damage they caused.
Earlier in the season we made errors and compounded them, he said. Now if we are making errors, other players are making great plays to pick up the slack.
Even with the defense playing better than it has for most of the summer, the Devin Oil offense has been churning out production on a consistent basis.
In the first game of the twinbill, the Heat used a 5-run second inning to pull away from the Diamondbacks behind a 2-run double from Austin Kopacz and single from Jovanny Llamas that drove in a pair as well.
Rosales helped his own cause with a RBI double in the third inning and catcher Leon Luna provided a 2-run single in the fourth.
Kopacz finished the first game 2 for 4 and Llamas went 2 for 3. Rosales also had two hits in the game to go with the win on the hill.
The start to the finale was a bit inauspicious for the Heat after starting pitcher Billy Breckheimer allowed four runs in the first frame, but he settled in after that.
He worked five innings and allowed just one run after the first inning. He struck out four and walked three in 87 pitches. Zack Demos worked the sixth inning to finish the ballgame for the Heat.
Baldocks walk-off bomb capped a 6-run sixth for the Heat to end it early due to run differential.
While Devin Oil clung to a 6-5 lead in the fourth, Rosales laid down a perfect bunt with the squeeze play on to score a run, but a Baker throwing error moved Rosales around to third and allowed another run to score. The Heat got more than expected out of the play, and stretched its lead to 8-5.
With a commanding 12-5 lead in the sixth, pinch hitter Michael Moya drew a walk and Nychal Gritz reached base to set the stage for Baldocks game-ending homer.
Baldock drove in four runs on the day, but his home run was his only hit. Kopacz went 2 for 2 and Justin Vandever also went 2 for 2 and hit a double to lead off the second inning.
Coming off a championship win in their own tournament during the Fathers Day weekend, the Heat have won its last four games. Mattson said that while the team could use a break, the short layoff comes at an inopportune time.
Its unfortunate were coming into a six-day break, Mattson said. Theyre playing good baseball right now and putting it all together. Hopefully we can pick up where we left off next Tuesday.
Devin Oil will take on the La Grande Subway As in a Zone 1 doubleheader at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Weber Field.