Long Beach Coast wins first game in franchise history

On May 19, the Long Beach Coast faced the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds for their inaugural season opener on the road. The Coast secured a 10-6 victory, setting the tone for their first season in franchise history. Garry Grosjean started on the mound for the Coast and pitched five complete innings, allowing just three hits and one run while backed by solid defense.

The Coast made their presence known early in the top of the first inning. On a 1-0 pitch, Emilio Corona launched a home run to the deepest part of the ballpark, recording the first home run and earned run in the Coast franchise history. With the bases loaded, Jacob Jablonski ripped a two-RBI double to right field to extend the lead to 3-0. The bats stayed hot as Thomas McCaffrey followed with a two-RBI double of his own. Anthony Mata continued the offensive surge with an RBI single to left field, ending the top half of the first 6-0 

The slug fest continued in the top of the second as the Coast blasted three consecutive home runs by Emilio Corona, his second homer of the night, Cooper Vest, and Cuba Bess, extending the lead to 9-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Freebirds got on the board for the first time. Second baseman Jablonski flashed some leather defensively, securing the second out. Grosjean sawed off, Noah Smith, who grounded out to short to end the inning

The Coast added another run in the top of the seventh to push the lead to 10-1, but the Freebirds responded quickly with a five-run inning. A two-RBI double, RBI single, and two-run homer suddenly made the game competitive as the inning ended with the Coast leading 10-6.

Mason Bryant shut the door in the bottom of the 9th, finishing the game with two strikeouts and a groundout to second base. The Coast secured a 10-6 victory, earning the first win in franchise history. Long Beach will face the Freebirds again tomorrow in game two of the three-game series.