Davis back on track, leads Sox to 6th straight win

The cure to Kyle Davis' slump didn't require extra sessions at batting practice.

It didn't necessitate soft toss, hitting off a tee or watching video.

Over a three-week span that covered 14 games, Davis batted a paltry .183 for the Marysville Gold Sox, a far cry from the start of the season when every pitch looked like a beach ball to him.

To remedy his dilemma, Davis took out the scissors, not a bat, on Monday night.

Samson lost his strength when he cut his hair — Davis was rejuvenated by chopping off his locks.

The New Mexico Highlands senior followed up Tuesday night's 3-for-5 outing with a three-run home run in the third inning on Thursday, igniting the Gold Sox's offense in an 8-3 victory over the Lodi-based California Glory.

Davis' laser shot over the right field wall at Appeal-Democrat Park was his second homer in as many games for Marysville, which will look for the sweep tonight.

"It looks like it's working," Davis said of his haircut. "I feel a lot more handsome."

His pretty swing from the left side resulted in a team-high seven home runs for the Cowboys this past Spring.

Originally from Albuquerque, N.M., Davis' baseball journey out of high school took him to Lamar Community College in Colorado, followed by a one-year stint at Cochise College in Arizona, before settling in at Highlands.

"It's hard shifting all around the place," Davis said. "I found a place where I can stay for awhile and I really enjoy it there."

Davis lifted the Gold Sox (22-6) out of a 2-0 hole with his three-run shot in the third.

Tommy Lininger tacked on two more with a double to the left-center field gap which plated Seth Kline and Mitchell Wilhite.

Victor Romero's RBI double in the fourth inning made it 6-2 before Justin Charles followed Davis' lead.

Charles ripped a two-run homer down the right-field line in the bottom of the fifth to extend Marysville's lead to 8-2.

After spending three seasons at Fresno State, Charles will conclude his collegiate career next Spring at Division-II Cal State Stanislaus.

This is Charles' second summer with the Gold Sox, and he was relieved to leave the yard for the first time at A-D Park.

"I've been waiting for that one for two summers," Charles said. "That felt good."

The spoils went to Gold Sox starter Paul Moeller, who overcame a rough first inning to earn his third victory over the season.

The southpaw hit two batters and walked in a run in the first, though he settled down to pitch five solid innings with six strikeouts.

Gridley High product Ty Nichols will take the ball for manager Jack Johnson in tonight's series finale.

After losing six of seven games, the Gold Sox have won six in a row.

"That was humbling because we found some failure," Johnson said. "They have a lot of pride and they found so much success that they didn't like losing.

"It made them come out with a fire."