Pirates Break Up No-Hit Bid in Loss

The Pirates Angelo Aleman slides safely into third base against the East LA Dodgers June 8, 2022. Photo by Izzy De Souza

The Ventura County Pirates (1-3-1) played their second straight game against the Alaska Goldpanners on Monday, ending in a 7-2 defeat. Off the heels of a close matchup on Sunday, the Pirates looked to change gears heading into Monday’s game. The Pirates bats, who rallied for nine hits and drove in four runs on Sunday’s game, were silenced through the first eight innings on Monday’s game, not producing a single hit until the ninth inning.

The Pirates sent right-hander Daniel Parra (0-1) on the hill for his first start of the season, after having pitched twice out of the bullpen. After an easy first inning, Parra was able to get out of a situation with runners on second and first base in the second inning, only allowing one run in the process. Despite earning the loss, Parra finished with a stat line of 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, and 4 K while tossing 48 pitches.

The Pirates bullpen kept the Goldpanners bats at bay throughout the next four innings, with relievers JP Caire and Cooper Haseley providing a solid tandem during Monday’s game. Caire and Cooper combined for four innings of relief work, allowing five hits and two earned runs while also walking four and striking out four hitters.

“The pitching has been good overall… They minimized giving up one run apiece and they gave us a solid chance to compete,” Pirates GM and Head Coach George Vranau said.

The seventh inning saw the Goldpanners strike for a four run seventh inning, increasing their lead to 7-0 before the Pirates bullpen put up a scoreless eighth inning.

Despite the effort from the pitching staff, the bats were stifled, having been no-hit through the first eight innings, and reaching base just six times. They were able to record their first hit in the top of the ninth inning via a single from center fielder Brady Schrank. The Pirates were able to soften the blow with two runs in the inning, scoring their first run on a throwing error and their second run on an RBI single from catcher Ethan Firestone.

“We just haven’t gelled offensively yet… We took far too many fastballs and just didn’t do a good job of attacking our pitches,” said Vranau.

The Pirates will take on the Goldpanners for a third straight game Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PST.