Yuba-Sutter pitcher Chase Martinez (13) tosses a pitch on July 3 in the victory against Long Beach. Photo by Steven Bryla

OAKLAND, CA (YSBC) - The Yuba-Sutter Freebirds ended the first half of the Pioneer Baseball League season by dropping five of their final six games.

Yuba-Sutter hit the road last week where they dropped two of three to Long Beach and were swept by Oakland.

The Freebirds pitching staff surrendered five runs or more within the first six innings in five games last week.

Yuba-Sutter shortstop Devon Dixon (2) fires a throw to first during the Freebirds’ loss to the RedPocket Mobiles on May 28. Photo by Steven Bryla

Yuba-Sutter infielder Andrew Kirchner continued his solid hitting at the plate as he delivered seven hits and six runs-batted-in (RBIs) throughout the week.

Kirchner was added to the Freebirds roster at the end of June and in 11 games for Yuba-Sutter, he’s hitting .370 with 21 RBIs and had a nine-game hitting streak at the end of play on Sunday.

Yuba-Sutter currently has seven active players with a batting average over .300.

The Long Beach Coast celebrates a victory over the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds on June 25. Photo by Steven Bryla

Freebirds manager Frank Gonzales expressed to Yuba Sutter Butte Colusa Sports that they need to get off to a great start in the second half of the season in hopes of locking in a playoff berth.

YS opens the start of second-half play with another road trip on the road as they play in Modesto for three and travel back down to SoCal to take on Long Beach.

The Freebirds will return to Bryant Field on Tuesday, July 21st for a three-game set against the Boise Hawks with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Yuba-Sutter first baseman Andrew Kirchner (18) lines a base hit on July 3 in the Freebirds win over Long Beach. Photo by Steven Bryla