Game Recap for 08/01/2008 7:05 PM

The GBL has been short on pitchers duels this season, but a classic broke out at Nettleton Stadium Friday night.  The Chico Outlaws defense blinked in the 9th and gave the Flyers a 3-1 victory in Chico.

Orange County scored two unearned runs in the 9th inning to break a 1-1 tie.  Jermy Acey drove in the game-winning run with a hot shot that snuck through Jose Valdez's legs at third base.  Fernando Pacheco plated an insurance run with a sacrifice fly later in the inning.  The rally started when 2B Jesse Kovacs committed a crucial error.

The story of the game, however, was the duel between Chico's Greg Bicknell and the Flyers' Matt Durkin.  Bicknell pitched into the 9th inning before being handed the hard luck loss.  In the first eight innings, he gave up just a solo homerun to Gabe Mayorga. 

Matt Durkin survived a rough first inning giving up just a run on an RBI single by Casey Garrison.  He then settled down to pitch seven dominant innings, including a stretch where he retired 14 consecutive hitters.

Mike Natale survived a bases-loaded jam in the 8th inning to earn the win in his first game back in a Flyers' uniform.  Dane De La Rosa picked up his 10th save by closing the 9th inning.

The Flyers (8-8) have taken eight of nine from Chico (7-10) this season.