Coast Comeback Falls Short at Modesto

MODESTO, CA – The Long Beach Coast (28-8) dropped to the Modesto Roadsters (21-15) in the series finale on Sunday by an 8-6 margin. Eight runs over the first three innings handed the Roadsters the early cushion to cruise to victory.

Coast starter Gary Grosjean left responsible for six of those tallies over 2.1 innings of work, allowing six hits and striking out two. Right-hander J.J. Almeda finished the third inning, surrendering a pair of runs on one hit.

After that, the bullpen kept a clean sheet. Left-hander Jaxon Byrd dealt two shutout frames with a trio of strikeouts. Newcomer Liam Rocha flew in for two more shutout innings, recording a pair of Ks. Mustachioed right-hander Ryan Faulks capped the defensive portion of the contest with a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

At the plate, the L.B.C. tagged one run each in the fourth and fifth. Center fielder Emilio Corona led off the fourth inning with his 11th home run of the season. Left fielder Eddy Pelc extended his on-base streak to 36 contests with a two-out RBI double to left field in the ensuing period.

Pelc appeared again in the top of the ninth inning with a two-out two-run double, but Modesto blocked the road after that. Designated hitter Cuba Bess finished the afternoon with a trio of hits, the latest of which scored another run in that ninth.

Next, Long Beach sets to host Oakland for the first time. On the road, the Coast are 6-3 against the Ballers. The first meeting between the two at Blair Field takes place at 6:35 p.m. PDT on Tuesday with gates opening at 5:05 p.m. Coverage flips into motion on the Home Team Network at 6:15 p.m. with the Beach Ball Pre-Game Report.

Jesse Cook