The Long Beach Coast had a successful week on the road, going 5-1 and improving to 63-27 overall to stay atop the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) standings.
The Coast started Week 15 by visiting and sweeping the Modesto Roadsters before traveling to take on the Oakland Ballers. Long Beach won the first two games against the Ballers before dropping the series finale.
The offense was hot against Roadsters, picking up 9-3, 9-4 and 10-2 wins to start the successful week.
In the first game, second baseman Jacob Jablonski blasted a clutch three-run shot to fuel a rally in the 8th and 9th innings. This three-run bomb put the Coast up 4-3 heading into the final inning, where the visitors tacked on five more safety runs to secure the win.
In Game 2, outfielder Emilio Corona gave Long Beach some energy with a three-run homer of his own in the 2nd inning. The Coast put two more on the board in this inning to go up 5-0 heading into the 3rd.
Long Beach’s bats stayed hot throughout the game, scoring three runs in the middle innings to increase the Coast’s lead. Relievers Jake Dixon and Ryan Faulks held things down on the mound, combining to throw five scoreless innings and secure the win.
For the final game of the series, Long Beach topped off their visit with a sweep in a 10-2 final score. Jablonski hit the go-ahead homer in the 7th inning to contribute to a 10-run rally. That one inning proved to be enough, leading the way for the victory.
The very next day, the Coast hit the road and played the Oakland Ballers. The offense continued their dominance behind another good game for Jablonski. It was his 22nd home run of the season that sparked a four-run rally in the 1st inning. Corona also had a strong game at the plate, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs to fuel the 11-8 win.
Long Beach picked up their final win of the week with a 5-3 triumph over the Ballers. The bats came alive in the third inning, where Johnny Papas, Cuba Bess and Spence Coffman all combined to put Long Beach on the board first.
The bullpen maintained the lead and secured the win with the help of their offense. Zach Voelker closed out the game with another save through the final frame.
Aside from the victorious week, Voelker’s performance as the team’s closer has been another bright spot for the Coast. With 21 saves through 40 appearances, Voelker broke the PBL Single-Season Saves Record.
With more baseball to play, Voelker isn’t done just yet. After a dominant debut season, the Coast have already secured their spot in the PBL Playoffs. Long Beach will play their final regular-season series against the Roadsters for a six-game stretch before playoffs start Sunday, Sept. 10.
