{"id":412615,"date":"2026-07-26T04:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T04:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/412615\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T04:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T04:41:18","slug":"newcomer-easton-jones-walks-it-off-for-coast-in-comeback-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/412615\/","title":{"rendered":"Newcomer Easton Jones walks it off for Coast in comeback victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

At risk of a season-long three-game losing streak, another defeat seemed certain for the Long Beach Coast after RedPocket Mobiles starting pitcher Adam Christopher\u2019s solid eight innings, in which he allowed only four hits, one walk and one earned run.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After a late offensive spark tilted the lead their way, the Mobiles (13-45) sent out Christopher in the ninth to complete his masterpiece. Four batters later, the game was over \u2014 the Coast (45-13) rallied to win the game 3-2 while Christopher, freshly pulled from the game, looked on from the dugout.<\/p>\n

Blair Field was the venue for Friday\u2019s thrilling pitchers\u2019 duel as both starters stifled the opposing offense.<\/p>\n

\"\"RedPocket Mobiles starting pitcher, Adam Christopher, throws eight innings against the Long Beach Coast on July 24, 2026 at Blair Field. Christopher\u2019s 124 pitches wasn\u2019t enough as the Coast defeated the Mobiles 3-2. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n

Christopher did not have flashy stats entering Friday\u2019s matchup due to his propensity to surrender the long ball. His 10 home runs allowed in 35 \u2153 innings have contributed to a 7.90 ERA and 0-3 record. However, his pitch command is spectacular, as evidenced by his 1.3 bases on balls per nine innings. That rate is second-lowest in the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coast starter Nick Bautista allowed three hits, one walk and one earned run in seven innings. Although Bautista didn\u2019t receive much run support, he relished the tight battle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a competitive mode like, \u2018Alright, this guy wants to go with me. Just go back to back. Let\u2019s do this,\u2019\u201d Bautista said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The highlight of Bautista\u2019s box score was the season-high nine strikeouts he registered, a mark he has reached twice before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Long Beach Coast starting pitcher, Nick Bautista, strikes out nine batters as the Coast battle against the RedPocket Mobiles on July 24, 2026 at Blair Field. Bautista ended the game with one earned run in seven innings pitched, which helped propel the Coast to a 3-2 victory. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cJust keeping the same game plan, going out there, making sure I\u2019m executing my pitches,\u201d Bautista said about his strikeouts. \u201cCertain counts, just staying in there and not falling into hitter accounts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Offensive firepower was sparse, yet significant from both sides as each run either broke or forced a tie.<\/p>\n

Right fielder Easton Jones opened up the scoring in the second inning by ripping a double down the third-base line, driving in first baseman Cooper Vest from first base. This is nothing new for BYU Cougars fans who saw those two team up in Provo from 2023 to 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Easton Jones, Long Beach third baseman, makes strong contact with the ball on July 24, 2026 against the RedPocket Mobiles. Jones\u2019 two RBI\u2019s helped propel the Coast to a 3-2 victory at Blair Field. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Mobiles threatened to even the score in the seventh inning after designated hitter Justin Johnson and center fielder T.J. McKenzie both smacked singles up the middle. Marquis Jackson replaced Johnson as a pinch runner at second base, prompting both runners to execute a double steal to perfection after Bautista\u2019s pitch found its way in the dirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was aware of it the first time and I held them on pretty good,\u201d Bautista said regarding the possibility of a double steal. \u201cIt just slipped my mind. I was like, \u2018Alright, I got to execute a pitch here.\u2019 Heard him taking off, and that was honestly just a mistake on my end.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Mobiles cashed in, albeit at a price. Third baseman Efrain Manzo bounced the 2-2 pitch off the infield grass and grounded out to the second baseman as Jackson scampered home to tie the game at one apiece.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With one out and a full count, Kishon Frett, pinch hitter for left fielder Royce Clayton Jr., belted the ball to the trees in left-center field to give the Mobiles a 2-1 lead and Christopher a clear path to his first win of the season. Entering Friday, Frett was the only Mobile player on their active roster to hit a home run at Blair Field this season. Frett\u2019s eighth-inning blast was his second at Blair Field this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"RedPocket Mobiles pinch hitter, Kishon Frett, homers against the Long Beach Coast on July 24, 2026 at Blair Field. Frett\u2019s 10th homerun of the season wasn\u2019t enough for the RedPocket Mobiles as the Coast defeated the Mobiles 3-2. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

Although only down by a single run, the Coast had a tall task ahead of them in the bottom of the ninth. Christopher, on the verge of a complete game, had retired 18 of the previous 19 batters he faced. Fortunately, the middle of the order was scheduled to hit, starting with center fielder Emilio Corona, who started his first game at the No. 3 spot Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Corona reached base almost immediately by recording a single off a 0-1 pitch to give the Coast life. A wild pitch sent Corona hustling to second base to represent the tying run in scoring position.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Catcher Cuba Bess worked a full count and slapped the ball in between the first and second basemen, which rolled into right field. Corona\u2019s game-tying run scored with ease as the ball slipped out of right fielder Braylon Bishop\u2019s possession while transferring the ball from glove to throwing hand.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

That sequence led to the Mobiles pulling Christopher from the game and Nathan Darden taking over pitching duties. Next at the plate, Vest ricocheted the 1-0 pitch off the mound as the ball sailed past the outstretched arm of the shortstop and landed safely in center field.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jones, a mid-season acquisition, stepped up to the plate with runners on first and third and a chance to win in his fifth game for the Coast. He made solid contact on the second pitch as he drilled a liner to left field, which screamed past the diving left fielder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jones knew right away the game was over, flicking the bat out of the batter\u2019s box. Although it was the Coast\u2019s third walk-off victory in 2026, Friday\u2019s game was the first in which they finished it off a base hit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Long Beach third baseman, Easton Jones, celebrates after hitting a walkoff RBI single on July 24, 2026 at Blair Field. Jones\u2019 two RBI\u2019s helped the Coast comeback and beat the Mobiles 3-2 victory. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

The victory prevented the Coast\u2019s first-ever three-game losing streak and allowed them to stay on top of the overall PBL standings by 1.5 games. It was also the team\u2019s first win in a game scoring three runs or fewer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed it bad,\u201d Bautista said. \u201cOur boys have been struggling a little bit, but when we need it, they\u2019re coming through so that\u2019s all we ask for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Coast will wrap up their series against the Mobiles this weekend before embarking on a 12-game road trip.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At risk of a season-long three-game losing streak, another defeat seemed certain for the Long Beach Coast after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[143353,131,67977,133,132,15765,21092,141833,165213,165214,114292],"class_list":["post-412615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-blair-field","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-coast","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-long-beach-regulators","tag-rbi-single","tag-redpocket-mobiles","tag-the-coast","tag-the-regulators","tag-walk-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}