Long Beach Suffers First Back-to-Back Losses

OAKLAND, CA – The Long Beach Coast (19-6) fell to the Oakland Ballers (12-13) in the Knockout Round of the series opener of their second road trip of the season on Tuesday night.

Week Four Pioneer Baseball League Pitcher of the Week Jack Martin took the mound for his fifth start of the season and his third against the Ballers. Martin had only allowed one home run in his initial four starts, but for the first time in 21 innings pitched, Martin allowed three long balls in his first three innings of work, resulting in an early 5-0 Ballers lead after three. 

Two of the three home runs went off the bat of Ballers first baseman Jeter Ybarra, who became the first player of the 2026 PBL campaign to reach double-digit dingers, now with a league-leading 12 on the year.

Ballers starter CJ Blowers allowed only one baserunner in his first 4.2 innings – a walk to first baseman Cooper Vest in the top of the first. Aided by early run support, the no-hitter ended on a two-out double by Coast second baseman Jacob Jablonski in the top of the fifth inning. Two pitches later, Blowers’ shutout was spoiled on an RBI double by catcher Johnny Pappas.

Blowers gifted Long Beach with their first home run of the night in his final inning – a 399-foot blast to left field by Coast third baseman Patrick Roche in the top of the sixth. Following a shutdown inning from Long Beach reliever Steven Ordorica in the bottom of the sixth, Emilio Corona went yard off of Ballers reliever Valek Cisneros to start a three-run comeback rally. Patrick Roche tied the game at five with an RBI single to center field, but the Coast left the bases loaded before taking the lead.

In the 5-5 stalemate, the Coast left two runners stranded in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings, giving the Ballers enough time to take their second lead of the game. Jeter Ybarra hit his third home run in the bottom of the eighth off of Coast reliever Julien Hernandez for a 6-5 lead. The Ballers’ fourth home run was the first run scored for the home team in five innings.

The Ballers’ second lead of the game lasted half an inning, when Long Beach left fielder Eddy Pelc hit an opposite-field home run to tie the score once more at 6-6. Pelc’s home run was the Coast’s third four-bagger on the night and the seventh home run of the game between the two California-based franchises.

Three batters after Pelc’s game-tying hit in the top of the ninth, designated hitter Cuba Bess drew in the go-ahead RBI on a fielder’s choice for a 7-6 Coast lead – their first and only lead of the series opener.

Long Beach closer Zach Voelker took the mound in the ninth for a save opportunity, but Ballers catcher Jaden Collura hit a one-out game-tying RBI single to center field to knot up the game at 7-7. Voelker recorded the final two outs of the game to keep the tie at the end of regulation, sending the two teams to a Knockout Round.

Long Beach experienced their first-ever Knockout Round at Blair Field on Sunday’s series finale loss to the Modesto Roadsters, making Tuesday night’s post-regulation derby back-to-back Knockout Round finishes for the Coast.

Coast right fielder Matthew Bardowell hit three home runs in the first round, immediately eclipsed with four by Ballers shortstop Tremayne Cobb, solidifying the win for Oakland.

With two consecutive Knockout Round losses for Long Beach, it marks the first time in history that the newest and southernmost PBL franchise has taken consecutive losses, with Tuesday night being the third loss in the month of June.

Long Beach will now look to avoid their first series loss since their first and only series loss of the season at Oakland three weeks prior (5/22-5/24). The middle game of the three-game road trip will start at 1:05 PM PDT on Wednesday afternoon at Raimondi Park.

Joey Miller