Toros Defeat BeachDawgs in Season Opener 9-5

Bay Area Toros opening day pitcher Keegan Laycock went 4 1/3 innings in the Toros win. (Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography Copyright 2008)

By Robert H. Kelly
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

TEXAS CITY, TEXAS (May 24, 2008) The weather was not as hot as their bats as 1124 die hard baseball fans saw The Bay Area Toros defeat the Corpus Christi BeachDawgs 9-5 to begin the 2008 Continental Baseball League season on Friday night.

The was the first opening day for the Toros at Robinson Field in Texas City. Last year, the Toros played their opening day game and most of the season at Clear Creek High School baseball field before moving to Texas City.

Keegan Laycock, who was the opening day starting pitcher for the Toros, went 4 1/3 innings, giving up two hits and two runs (one earned) with nine strikeouts. He was replaced by middle reliever Matthew Paradoski.

Paradoski pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run and two strikeouts to get his first win of the season.

The improved pitching performance was largely due to the addition of Jim Mallory as pitching coach. Mallory was brought in to oversee the pitching staff and put some consistency to the staff that as sorely lacking last season.

Mallory was quote after the game: “I was pleased with the pitching performance tonight. It was solid and supported by our bats. Overall, a great game.”

At the plate, the Toros erupted with a flurry in the third inning, scoring four runs. Catcher Kyle Wells lead the way with the first home run of the season, bringing home two runs. One additional run in the inning took the score to 4-1.

The BeachDawgs came back with a one run homer by right fielder Josh Morgan. They also scored twice more, in the seventh and eighth innings to cut into the Toros lead. Solo runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, combined with two runs in the seventh inning kept the leased for to Toros to assure the opening day win.

The Toros will be back on the field on Saturday to clsoe out the two game homestand against the BeachDawgs, with the first pitch at 6:35pm.