Legends win against Prune Packers

Tommy Bell’s two run home run was the lifesaver for the Menlo Park Legends this past Sunday.

After losing their first Back-to-back loses of the season, the Legends picked up the pieces to win 4-3 against the Healdsburg Prune Packers, June 21.

Noticeable changes were made this game, starting with a new line up that kept main sluggers like Dylan Cook (Georgia) and Robert Henry (Brown) on the bench due to injuries.

Minus the key players, the Legends were able to control the majority of the game with strong pitching. Jonathan Hernandez (Chapman) started the pitcher’s duel with four and two-thirds innings, giving up only two runs.

“I think we had some more opportunities than what it showed on the scoreboard,” General Manager David Klein said. “We just have to keep going with it.”

The Legends were able to put one on the scoreboard in the third after Tobias Moreno (Embry-Riddle) scored off a single by Kyle Zirbes. It was not long before the Prune Packers fired back with two straight runs off wild pitches in the fourth, letting them take the lead.

Batting fourth on the day, Tommy Bell (New Mexico State) blasted a two run home run in the sixth putting the Legends back on top.

“I was just trying to stay alive,” Bell said. “I already had two strikes on me and I put a good swing on the ball and connected with it.”

The Legends’ offense capped the seventh with Kyle Zirbes (Embry-Riddle) hitting the Legends’ second home run off a curve ball. Zirbes would go three for three with one RBI.

“[The ball] was right down the middle and didn’t move much so I just put a good swing on that,” Zirbes said. “I haven’t hit a home run in a while so it felt good.”

Richard Peoples (Missouri Western State) took the mound to in the ninth to close the game. Although the Prune Packers were able to tack on a run off a single, the defense was able to command the rest of the inning for a Legends’ victory.

Despite the win, Klein believes that there are still issues that the team needs to work on before this week’s upcoming home games.

“We are going to have to put more consistent at bats throughout the game,” Klein said. “It’s just kind of here and there and not throughout the game.”

Photos by Lani Finer