Something felt different at Blair Field on Friday night.
Maybe it was Long Beach legend Warren G walking to the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Long Beach Coast’s inaugural Regulators Night. Maybe it was the steady chorus of “L-B-C” chants rolling through the ballpark throughout the night.
Or maybe it was the baseball itself.
For the 10th consecutive game, the Regulators looked every bit like the hottest team in the Pioneer Baseball League, defeating RedPocket Mobiles 6-3 to move within a half-game of first place.
“It’s just exciting to see this group of guys out here really playing some good baseball,” Warren G said before the game. “I’m just happy to be out here to support and also be a part of everything. I love it man. I was born and raised here. It’s just good to be here.”
Before taking the mound for his first pitch, Warren G performed his hit “Regulate” in front of a buzzing crowd – something he was happy to see as there were plenty of Regulators jerseys throughout the stadium.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Warren G said about Long Beach coming out to support the team. “It’s about good vibes, love and friendship. Just to see the love and support that these guys are getting is incredible. It’s good to see all the love that everybody has.”
After the pregame festivities were over, the Regulators took a 1-0 lead in the first and pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second as LBC scored both runs with no hits.
Hector Nieves responded for the Mobiles with a 2-run homer at the top of the third to tie the game, but LBC starter Nick Bautista limited the damage getting two of the next three batters out.
The Regulators (13-3) went right back to work in the bottom of the third frame as Cooper Vest reached first on a leadoff hit by pitch. Cuba Bess followed with another freebie thanks to a walk.
Both runners moved into scoring position after a wild pitch and Emilio Corona gave LBC the lead with a two-run double to make it a 4-2 game. Paul Winland kept the bats moving with a RBI single that pushed Corona across to extend the lead to 5-2 after the third.
“I think it’s just a great group of guys,” Corona said of the Regulators dynamic so far. “Everyone’s very welcoming. We kind of bonded pretty fast in a short amount of time here, and I think it’s only going to grow stronger as the season goes on. That’s something we can really build off and kind of help our season continue the way it is.”
Bautista continued to cruise as he started to pile up the strikeouts as he kept the Mobiles scoreless over the next three innings. He finished the night with six innings pitch, with nine strikeouts and only allowing two runs.
Jacob Jablonski pushed the lead to 6-2 with a sacrifice fly and Emilio Corona continued his hot night with a double shortly after to finish the night 3-3.
Nieves continued to battle for the Mobiles as he hit an RBI single against Steven Ordorica before getting out of the seventh inning with the Regulators leading 6-3.
“It’s awesome,” Corona said of the crowd for the inaugural Regulators night. “The support from the community has been fantastic. We got 2,000 to 3,000 fans here on this special night, so that’s super fun. That creates a great environment for us, and we want to go out and perform and put a good product on the field for them.”
Julian Hernandez and Zach Voelker pitched a combined 2.1 to finish off the win. The Regulators will be back in action against the RedPocket Mobiles on Saturday at 4:35 p.m. before they close out their series against the Mobiles on Sunday.
