Del Rio sends Raiders into break with a message
ALAMEDA – The final day of the offseason program for the Oakland Raiders was a time for the backups to shine.
Coach Jack Del Rio let his second- and thirdstringers get almost all of the action during team drills on the final day of mandatory minicamp Thursday before sending his players off for six weeks before training camp.
Del Rio sent them away with a message to take care of their bodies so they arrive in camp ready to work and to stay out of trouble and make good decisions in what sometimes has been a troublesome time for NFL players between the offseason program and camp.
That was a message that resonated with AP Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack.
“When you think about it you have a lottery ticket in your hand,” Mack said. “I tell all the defensive guys that. You have a lottery ticket in your hand. You can’t trick it off on doing something stupid in the town messing with this and that. It’s all about being focused and remembering that lottery ticket
It took a few weeks, but the Marysville Gold Sox have finally moved to full strength and have now gotten themselves out of the Great West League cellar.
Former Yuba College pitcher Ryan McCarthy allowed one run and two hits over 5 ⁄ innings, and the Gold Sox scored two runs in both the fourth and the fifth innings to earn a 4-2 victory over the rival Yuba City Bears on Friday night before 1,845 fans at Colusa Casino Stadium.
With the win, the Gold Sox leapfrogged the Bears at the bottom of the GWL standings. Marysville now sits in fifth place with a 5-11 record, while Yuba City slid into last place at 5-12.
The Bears got on the scoreboard first in the top of the third when McCarthy allowed his only two hits of the game. Creed Smith started things off by hitting a two-out double before River Valley High graduate Steve Robinson drove him in with a single to give Yuba City a 1-0 advantage.
Marysville took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth, rallying for two runs with two outs. A walk and an error started the rally before newcomer Mitchell Tyse hit a two-run double to put the Gold Sox up 2-1.
They added on to their lead in the fifth. Jaisten Cabatbat led off the inning with a single and scored on a single to right by Darrel Doll. One out later, Grant Horwitz knocked in Doll with a double to make the score 4-1.
That was all of the run support McCarthy would need as he struck out three and overcame five walks to improve to 2-1 on the summer.
The Bears made things interesting in the top of the ninth, however. Austin Chastain led off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a double by Dominic Diana. Andrew Fuentes drove in Chastain with a groundout to cut the lead to 4-2 before another newcomer, Cole Van Den Helder, got a strikeout to end the game.
Van Den Helder followed McCarthy on the hill and allowed just two hits over the final 3 ⁄ innings to notch the save. He struck out four and walked only one.
Ben Purcell took the loss, allowing five hits and four runs over five innings. Only one of the runs Purcell surrendered was earned. He struck out four and walked three.
Cabatbat, Tyse and Justin CooneySylk finished with two hits each to lead the way for the Gold Sox at the plate.
Smith, Diana and Fuentes each hit doubles to account for three of the Bears’ four hits.
With the win, Marysville has beaten Yuba City four times in the two rivals’ seven head-to-head matchups this season. It was also the Gold Sox’s first win over the Bears as the “home team” at Colusa Casino Stadium.
The two clubs will continue their series today at 7:05 p.m. with the Gold Sox looking to complete the three-game sweep.