Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – B52s pitcher Craig Broadman

Craig Broadman pitched 5.2 scoreless innings on Friday night as the Humboldt B52s overcame an injury to starter Luis Pimentel on the way to an 8-2 win over the Redding Ringtails at Bomber Field.

Pimentel took a line drive to his arm in the second inning and was forced from the game, but Broadman was strong in relief, holding the visitors at bay on his way to the win.

Broadman allowed just two hits to go with five walks, while striking out two.

The game was closer than the final score would suggest for much of the night, with the B52s pulling away late with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Ryan Rivera got the save, relieving Broadman in the seventh and pitching 2.1 hitless innings while striking out four and walking a pair.

Eric Smelko

At the plate, newcomer Eric Smelko continued his outstanding start to the season, finishing 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, as well as a pair of stolen bases.

Brian Orr also had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base, as the B52s rallied from an early two-run deficit with eight unanswered runs.

They scored one in the fourth and pulled ahead with two more runs in the fifth.

Braeden Holliday continued to display his power at the plate with a triple, while Karter Koch had a double and two RBIs.

Luis Pimentel

McKinleyville’s Jacob Smith also had a big day at the plate, finishing 2-for-4, while Tommy Gale and Antonio Caravalho rounded out a 10-hit team performance.

With the win, the B52s ended a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-4.

The two clubs will continue their weekend series at Bomber Field on Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m.