Hold It There
The Outlaws ended up holding on for the 10-4 win in an entertaining opener to take a 1-0 series lead. Not mentioned here until now is how well Bicknell worked after getting beat up pretty good by the Wakeland homer in the first inning.
He wiggled out of three jams over the next seven innings but only allowed one other run. One thing Outlaw coaches love saying about Bicknell is that he has the proverbial "rubber arm" and tonight he put the darn thing on display. I'll post the 38-year-old's pitch count a little later when I get it officially, but it has to be at or around 100. He froze Long Beach hitters several times en route to striking out seven. Giving up rides like the Wakeland launch might make younger hurlers crumble, but Bicknell stood in and gave his team the type of outing he was brought in for so late in the season.