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The rubber match between the Lincoln Potters and California Tigers took place on a warm Slice Sunday at McBean Stadium. With the Potters narrowly winning game one, and the Tigers putting a dominant performance up in game two, this game was anyone’s. The Potters quickly proved that they were in control and stayed in control throughout the entire game, shutting the Tigers out by a final of 8-0.

The star of this game was starting pitcher Gerald Hanson. His outing was the highlight of the Potters’ pitching staff so far this year, as he tossed a complete game shutout in this heat-shortened seven inning game. Over his seven innings, Hanson allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out seven batters, one of which in fact being his brother Jason, the Tigers’ starting first baseman. Hanson acknowledged being able to “get back at his brother” after their matchup in college play earlier this spring. Over his 21.1 innings of work this season both as a starter and out of the bullpen, Hanson has logged two wins and a save while racking up 18 strikeouts. With his shutout, his ERA dropped from 2.51 to 1.69 and his WHIP from 1.19 to .89.

While pitching was the story of this game, the Potters offense also dominated this game, putting up eight runs on ten hits in just six trips to the plate. Zach Chamizo, Tyler Antwine, and Cade Parker all recorded two-hit games, while Antwine, Parker, and Will Linberg all added two RBI to their season tallies. The scoring begun in the second inning with Will Linberg’s two-run missile home run over the right field fence. This would end up being all the run support Hanson would need, but Tyler Antwine joined the home run fun an inning later with a bomb to left-center. After these two highlight hits, the offense would band together for a combined five runs in the fourth and fifth innings to put the game away.

With this weekend series out of the way, the Potters’ focus turns back to Pacific Empire League play, as the Healdsburg Prune Packers come to town Tuesday and Thursday, with an away game in the middle on Wednesday night. With the season rapidly coming to an end, these three matchup will have a huge impact on the standings, as well as the championship series qualifiers.