YOLO HIGH WHEELERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP
Bobby Lada Hits Walk-Off 3-Run HR to Seal Championship
In a back-and-forth nail biter that ended dramatically with a walk-off 3 run homerun by Bobby Lada, the first-year Yolo High Wheelers won the 2024 Pioneer Baseball League, an MLB Partner League, with an 8-7 victory over the Glacier Range Riders on Saturday night in front of the home crowd in Davis, CA.
The Glacier Range Riders, down two games to one in the series and facing elimination, dominated the first half of this game, tallying up a 5-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning, built on third baseman Ben Fitzgerald's three-run home run to centerfield in the top of the third and catcher Jerome Huntzinger's solo home run to left-center in the fourth.
As they have throughout their inaugural 2024 season, the High Wheelers responded in the bottom of the sixth when second baseman Bobby Lada hit a solo home run to left center, bringing the score to the 5-1. The High Wheelers then loaded the bases on Glacier reliever Nick Zegna before Yolo right fielder Tanner Smith hit a grand slam to right field, evening the score at 5-5 after the sixth.
The stalemate would be short-lived as Glacier's Ben Fitzgerald hit his second home run of the game, this one a two-run shot to right-center giving Glacier new life with a 7-5 lead after seven innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, Glacier's shut-down closer Noah Owen came into the game to seal Glacier's entry into a deciding fifth game.
Owen retired the leadoff batter, third baseman Kirkland Banks, with a hard line-out to third. Catcher Edwin De La Cruz then singled to center, bringing the tying run to the plate. But Owen battled back against Yolo center fielder Brayland Skinner and survived another hard line out to the third baseman, leaving Glacier one out away from extending the series.
Never to be counted out, Yolo still had life. Shortstop Braylin Marine hit a single down the third base line, advancing the runner and bringing the Championship winning run to the plate.
Yolo second baseman, Bobby Lada, who'd homered earlier in the game swung at Owen's first pitch crushing it over the left field wall, winning the Championship with a walk-off for the Yolo High Wheelers.
"I was just thinking of crushing that ball, that's what I was thinking, and that's what I did" said Lada following the game. "Ben Fitzgerald (Glacier third baseman) and I were college teammates at Louisiana and he hit two homers so I had to keep up with him."
In a series that featured close pitcher's duels in the first three games, both clubs relied on the long ball for their offense in this back-and-forth affair, that ultimately was settled with a walk- off blast by Lada.
"I'm just so in awe of Lada's presence, and we have so many great guys on this team" said High Wheelers' Manager Billy Horton. "You can't script what happened here--this season. I had dreams throughout the year about how some of our games were going to end including a home run to win this game. I was jumping up and down, screaming Bobby Lada, Bobby Lada. I got lost like a little kid celebrating."
The Yolo High Wheelers' walk-off win not only secured their first-ever Pioneer League championship in dramatic fashion but also capped off an incredible inaugural season. With Bobby Lada's heroic performance and the team's resilience on full display, the High Wheelers proved themselves as champions in the most thrilling way possible. The 2024 season will be remembered for its excitement, and this unforgettable finale will surely be a highlight in Pioneer League history.