Astros move on in second round of Babe Ruth playoffs
Sometimes it pays to be the underdog.
San Benito Babe Ruth teams began their 2007 championship runs
Tuesday, as the third-seed Marlins (13-5) took on the
sixth-and-final seed Astros (9-9) in the first playoff game of the
series.
Astros move on in second round of Babe Ruth playoffs
Sometimes it pays to be the underdog.
San Benito Babe Ruth teams began their 2007 championship runs Tuesday, as the third-seed Marlins (13-5) took on the sixth-and-final seed Astros (9-9) in the first playoff game of the series.
The regular season ended with the top six seeds making it to the single-elimination playoff tourney. The A’s (17-1) finished the season in first place with the Rockies (14-4) taking second, giving both teams some time off as they enjoyed a first-round bye.
The Astros got off to a rough start when a first inning rally was cut short due to running miscues on the base paths. On defense that same inning, the Astros committed two errors that resulted in two unearned runs.
Both teams settled down after the first two innings, however, and the game turned into a pitchers’ duel. But in the top of the sixth, with the Marlins leading 4-2, the Astros scraped together two runs on an error to tie the game. An inning later, Astros shortstop, Anthony Muñoz scored on a double by Felipe Davila to give the Astros a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins’ playoff dreams were dashed when Astros pitcher Daniel Arevalo, after allowing a hit to Zach Zanger to put the tying run on base, struck out the final two Marlin hitters to give the Astros the win.
Arevalo pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and four runs and striking out seven. Jacob Cabral started the game for the Marlins and pitched five innings, allowing only two runs. Marcus Synegal pitched great in the final two innings but ultimately was victimized by three unearned runs that won the game for the Astros.
Astros coach Oscar Ramirez said he believed his team could do it and coached them “with all his might.”
“We battled all game,” Ramirez said. “We just kept chipping away. We have a lot of heart and this team was not about to give up.”
“At first I didn’t think we could do it, but once the game started I thought anything could happen,” said Astros catcher Davila.
The key to the victory was their pitching, according to Ramirez.
“Good pitching makes all the difference in the world,” Ramirez said. “And Daniel pitched a good one tonight.”
With the victory, the short-manned Astros, with just nine players on its roster, moved on to play the favored A’s, who are 56-2 the last three seasons, in the second round of the playoffs. That game begins tonight at 5:30 p.m. on the Babe Ruth field at Veterans Memorial Park.
Nathan Castro, the Astros’ tenth-man who broke his arm when he was hit by a pitch a few weeks ago, hopes that his team can pull it off.
“It is going to be a very hard-fought game,” Castro said. “Hopefully we can play hard and smart and come out with a win.”
The fourth-seeded Cubs (10-8) and fifth-seeded Giants (9-9) played the second game of the first round Wednesday. The final score and stats were not available at press time. The winner of that game moved on to the second round to play the Rockies Thursday. A final score of that game was not available at press time.
The winner of the first game in the second round will move on to play the winner of the A’s/Astros game in the championship game, scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m.
