No-hitter falls short, but Gold Sox win 15th straight
History was made Friday night when the Gold Sox won a franchise-best 14th straight game.
The performance of Marysville's pitching staff on Saturday at Appeal-Democrat Park almost provided another stat for the team's record book.
Gold Sox pitchers almost combined to throw a no-hitter, though lost it with two outs in the eighth inning.
Marysville (34-8-1) settled for a one-hitter and picked up its 15th consecutive win, matching Friday's effort with a second straight 3-1 victory over the Nor Cal Longhorns.
Starter D.J. Slaton (4-0) threw six hitless innings to pick up the win for Marysville. The San Jose State right-hander struck out five and allowed one run.
Nor Cal's Jeff Thomas had the lone hit for the Longhorns, though Marysville's Daniel Russell made a valiant effort to keep the no-hitter intact with a diving attempt in the outfield.
Mitchell Wilhite closed the game out in the ninth to pick up the save.
If the Gold Sox complete the sweep over the Longhorns tonight, the team will clinch its first Horizon Air Summer Series title since 2006. A loss by the Seattle Studs will also give the Sox the championship.
Marysville got on the board early, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Casey Coy doubled to knock in Justin Charles.
The Gold Sox manufactured their other two runs, beginning in the sixth inning when Tyler Kuresa scored on a fielder's choice. The team's third run of the night came in the seventh when Mark Shannon scored on a wild pitch.
The Sox conclude their season next weekend in four non-HASS games. Marysville will host the Sacramento Legends on Thursday followed by three straight against the Solano County Blue Birds.
