Reyna Slams Spurs as Gulls Win, 8-4

When Oscar Escobar struck out on a change-up with the bases loaded in the seventh inning Friday, he cautioned the next batter of the pitch on his way back to the dugout.

But Ventura Gulls teammate Luis Reyna didn’t need the advice. In what proved to be a regrettable move, Salinas Spurs Manager Greg Mahlberg replaced Logan White, the pitcher who had thrown the nifty change.

When Darrel Higgs came in to face Reyna, the left-handed batter saw a fastball instead and lined it over the right-field fence.

Reyna’s shot left the yard more quickly than a kid caught filching off a neighbor’s fruit tree, and it made easy pickings of the Spurs.

The grand slam led the Gulls to an 8-4 win at Ventura College, their fourth in a row on this home stand.

And it made Gulls Manager Glenn Ezell feel a bit better about losing California League home run leader Darryl Landrum for the next two weeks. Landrum broke his right thumb while batting Thursday.

While Landrum is on the bench, Reyna might be the answer.

“Reyna has really been swinging the bat well,” Ezell said. “That ball was struck.” Reyna, the Gulls’ leading batter with a .376 average, also doubled.

He hadn’t been playing against left-handed pitching, but with his hot hand and Landrum’s broken thumb, he’ll get plenty of at-bats the next few weeks.

Another injury--to the right shoulder of scheduled starting pitcher Todd Provence--gave Hugh Brinson a start Friday. The right-hander responded by allowing six hits and three runs over 5 innings, good enough for the hot-hitting Gulls to stay in the game.

Although he threw only one inning, Zach Paris got the win. Left-hander Steve Mumaw replaced Paris with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh and induced Dave Stewart to fly out to center after falling behind in the count, 3-0. Mumaw got his first save by allowing only one run over the next two innings.

The Gulls began lethargically. Salinas scored once in the fourth and twice in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. Three stolen bases lubricated the Spurs’ rallies, and Greg Fulton, Bob Bruzik and Dan Clark each had RBI singles.

The Gulls got going after catcher Greg Myers hit his fourth home run to lead off the fifth. After Ken Kinnard singled and Geronimo Berroa walked, Omar Malave singled home Kinnard, and Sandy Guerrero scored Berroa with a sacrifice fly.

Ventura County took the lead, 4-3, in the sixth when Reyna’s double was followed with an RBI single by Domingo Martinez.

Gull Notes

Gulls first baseman Domingo Martinez replaced the injured Darryl Landrum in the clean-up spot in the batting order and had the game-winning RBI for the second straight day. . . . Although both teams had nine hits, Salinas left 10 runners, and the Gulls left three. . . . Friday was the Gulls’ last weekday 1 p.m. game. Beginning with next Friday’s home stand opener against the Palm Springs Angels, weekday games will begin at 4 p.m. . . . Gulls right-hander William Shanks (0-1) will start today’s 1 p.m. game, and Todd Stottlemyre (3-0) will start Sunday. It will be Shanks’ first start. . . . The Salinas Spurs are an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.