Today the Yolo High Wheelers sealed their championship series victory over the Glacier Range Riders (MT) with an 8-7 walk-off victory. They were down 7-5 with two outs in the bottom of the 9th when Bobby Lada hit a three-run homer.
Former Aggie Andrew LaCour pitched a scoreless 8th to help keep them in the game after Sac State alum Jack Zalasky gave up what would have been the winning runs the inning before.
Maybe there is someone who can confirm this, but this might be the first championship ever won by a team calling Dobbins Stadium home. It's been there over 30 years. Attendance listed in the box score was 0. Glacier averages over 2,000 fans per game.
I wonder why they just gave up on the temp lights completely after that first game ? The lights they were using seemed to be working fine, but they didn't provide good coverage for the outfield. They couldn't have just brought in more lights ?
They didn't plan this too well. It would have been more sensible for them to play 2024 in a temporary venue with lights such as Sac State while working on the lights at Dobbins.
Perhaps they could've played at Laney College's field as is ? Or share the Oakland Ballers' venue. Sac State's park is small but it would have been full every night.
They got greedy and tried to play in Dobbins before it was ready for action. They blew a big opportunity to get people hooked. Opening night had a significantly bigger crowd than I've seen at even a free Picnic Day game. Now they have to re-engage the fans they lost due to poor planning ..
That's pretty harsh, but it's the reality of minor league baseball, especially independent ball. You live and die by your paid attendance. Independent ball failed in Sacramento and Vacaville previously.
So they were told the future of the team in Davis was in doubt-that wording seems to suggest they're consideing a new location in Northern CA. Chico could be a good landing spot. They had a team-the Chico Heat-that drew pretty well in the 00's It didn't so much fail as their league did. A bit far from Oakland but not as far as MT or ID. More likely they wind up at Cal or Laney.
I wonder if they will still fulfill their lights promise if they leave considering they were supposedly already purchased ? Unless they could get their money back.
Even if they stay in Davis somehow I just hate how they let down the community. They sold them a promise and failed to deliver. I'll probably have to change this username.
How unusual that they were giving away High Wheelers gear at a UC Davis football game. At least they were promoting it.
They might be the Yolo High Wheelers of Oakland at this rate. Really doesn't make sense that they fired all the front office staff. Wherever they wind up they need front office people. You can't blame the ticket sales manager for poor attendance, as they had nothing to do with the lights problen. Like I said they really didn't do a good job researching + planning this. Yolo County is a pretty small market for baseball, better for football.