Lincoln Potters sweep Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox on opening weekend

For the second year in a row, the Lincoln Potters swept their opening weekend series against the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox. A record crowd of 3,307 made its way to McBean Stadium for the weekend to watch the boys of the summer take the field. Opening-night jitters were not a problem for the Potters on Friday, as they dominated from start to finish with a 21-2 victory. Lincoln found itself in a slugfest on Saturday night, winning 15-11 in a contest that saw seven homers. The series finale on Sunday was another big win for the home squad, 12-3. Fourth-year manager Ryan Stevens was pleased with what he saw and noted how important it is to start the summer on a winning foot, especially as more players start to report to Lincoln. "It kind of sets the momentum going forward. And so when guys come in here, they know what we're about," said Stevens. "We've preached that since day one. When these guys got into town, we're going out here to not only compete, we're out here to win and you know, get better at every little aspect of the game." Brandon Motheral had a weekend to remember. The University of the Pacific product wasted no time introducing himself to the Lincoln faithful, going 2 for 2 with a homer and six RBIs on Opening Night. Motheral continued his dominance Saturday, driving in five more runs and sending another over the fence. He finished the weekend with a team-best eight hits and 11 RBIs. "I think it's a really good hitter's ballpark here," said Motheral. "The fences are pretty short compared to what I just played out at UOP so I just took advantage of it and hit the ball." Trey Furrey also made noise. After two days of unlucky plate appearances, the Potter veteran was explosive Sunday, going 3 for 4 with two home runs, a double and six RBIs. Furrey also flashed his glove multiple times on third, providing a defensive spark for Lincoln. "Once he's comfortable and confident, he's electric," Stevens said of Furrey. "I think when he comes out here, he's starting to settle into his own and understand that, you know, he's a veteran out here now and we got to have him hit like that." Several Potter pitchers had notable performances. Lincoln native Craig Schmich tossed four innings in relief Friday night, allowing one run and one hit while striking out eight. Anthony Perez produced a strong start Saturday in four innings of work, and Hawaii Pacific's Makana Quia earned the win in relief. He allowed one run and one hit in two innings to slow the Gold Sox bats and allow Lincoln to take the lead. The Potters are back in action Wednesday against the Sacramento Yankees before hitting the road for the first time to square off with the Gold Sox on Thursday. Lincoln returns home Friday to open a three-game series with the Novato Knicks.