Monday night’s San Benito County Babe Ruth League matchup
between the A’s and the Giants had all the earmarks of the more
well-known Bay Bridge Series between the two professional teams in
Oakland and San Francisco, respectively.
Monday night’s San Benito County Babe Ruth League matchup between the A’s and the Giants had all the earmarks of the more well-known Bay Bridge Series between the two professional teams in Oakland and San Francisco, respectively.
One (without spelling it out too much), it had the A’s and the Giants. Two, it had the biting cold wind of yesteryear when the teams met at Candlestick Park.
This was chilly Vet’s Park, though, and this one counted. The Babe Ruth Giants needed desperately to win to stay in contention for the sixth and final playoff spot. They did, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh to triumph 7-6.
The victory gave the Giants a 6-9 record with one game left. A win vs. the White Sox on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. would secure the last slot in the six-team playoff. The Giants could very well know their fate before the game starts because the Yankees (5-10) play the A’s (8-6) at 8 a.m. on Saturday with the Yankees having to win to have any chance at the playoffs.
The loss by the visiting A’s was particularly galling because they seemed to have the game in control. They held leads of 3-0 and 6-2 before the Giants began pecking away in the middle innings. A didn’t-want-to-be squeeze attempt with the bases loaded by Andrew Sandoval forced out Aaron Schulman at the plate in the fourth inning.
“I gave Andrew a fake bunt sign and he bunted it,” said Giants coach Sarino Torrise. “We weren’t trying to squeeze there.”
The Giants notched a run anyway when Josh Torrise singled in Drew Daniels with two out to cut the A’s lead in half 6-4. The Giants manufactured a run in the fifth when Anthony Vasquez worked a lead off walk against A’s hurler Doug Conte. Vasquez stole second, then scored on consecutive ground outs by Ryan Stevens and Schulman.
Conte, who went the whole way, walked the first two batters of the seventh – Josh and brother Jake Torrise. Vasquez’ grounder towards third was muffed and the ball squirted into left field as Josh Torrise scored with Jake taking third. After Vasquez pilfered second for his third stolen base of the game, Stevens bounded one to second base. The throw came home, but too late to get the swift Jake Torrise. After an A’s fielding error, Drew Daniels shot a single through the left side and the Giants had survived another day.
Daniels, not only delivered the game-winner, he was the winning pitcher. Pitching all seven frames, Daniels gave up seven hits, walked three and hit a batter. He got stronger as the game went on, though, retiring the side in order in the fifth and sixth innings. In the seventh, he gave up back-to-back singles to Travis Ross and Ryan Wiltse, but got the next batter to fly to right. He then induced a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.
The A’s took a 3-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by Conte and a two-run single by Kevin Graham. They added two more runs in the third on an RBI single by Tyler Smith and a ground out by Alex George. But, Daniels held his ground.
“The Giants played well,” said A’s manager Steve Ross, who let everyone have a hack. “We played good enough to win and Doug (Conte) pitched good enough to win. We didn’t adjust very well at the plate.”
Both shortstops played well. Vasquez was smooth in handling a couple of tough chances. He even threw from second to home on a double steal attempt in the fourth inning to nail Travis Ross, who was chugging to home from third as Smith took second.
And the A’s had good defensive play from 13 year-old Ronnie Fhurong. Fhurong dove to his left in the first inning to rob Stevens of a hit, then made a nice catch on a short pop-up from the next batter – Schulman.
Travis Ross, playing catcher for the A’s, made one of the top defensive plays of the game in the second inning. Ross caught a popped up bunt from Robert Lopez in front of home plate then threw to second base to get Daniels, who strayed off the bag, which completed the double play.
Even if the Giants make the playoffs, they’d be shorthanded. Stevens, who played well defensively around the first base bag, is moving to North Carolina on Thursday. Another player is out for a function.
SBCBRL notes: There are no games until Saturday…..The A’s and Rockies, who tied in a recent game 4-4 after nine innings, must play the game in its entirety, not resuming it from the ninth as originally reported. The game, which would have a bearing on where the A’s and Rockies would be seeded in the playoffs, is on Sunday at 8 a.m……The playoffs begin Monday with No. 6 seed facing No. 3 seed. On Tuesday, No. 5 seed plays No. 4 seed. Both those games are at 5:30 p.m. The top two seeds receive byes until June 21, where No. 1 meets Monday’s winner at 10 a.m. No. 2 seed tangles with Tuesday’s winner at 1 p.m. The championship game is June 22 at 10 a.m. All games are at Vet’s Park……The league will play host to the District 1 15 year-old All-Star Tournament beginning June 28 and continuing through July 3.
A’s 302 100 0 – 6 7 5
Giants 101 110 3 – 7 4 3
WP-Daniels. LP-Conte. 2 hits – Ross (A); Daniels (G). 2 RBI – Stevens (G).
