The Giants Anthony Vasquez had some serious words for reliever
Josh Torrise after Torrise had walked the bases loaded in the
bottom of the seventh with two out.
The Giants Anthony Vasquez had some serious words for reliever Josh Torrise after Torrise had walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh with two out.
“You scared the heck out of me,” said Vasquez, half kidding. “You scared the freaking heck out of me.”
The sixth-seeded Giants, thanks to some kind generousity from the No. 3 seeded Rockies, pulled off the upset with a 6-4 victory in a San Benito County Babe Ruth League playoff game at Vet’s Park. Four out of the Giants’ six runs were unearned as the Rockies committed five errors on the night.
“You can’t give any team extra outs and extra runs,” said Rockies manager Kelly Gonzales, whose club ended the season 10-6-1. “I’ve been preaching that to my kids all season long. The Giants did what they had to do tonight to win.”
The Rockies were hindered with the loss of one of their top players – Johnny Sanchez. Sanchez, one of the top catchers in the league, as well as, a catalyst from the leadoff spot in the order, was away on a family function.
“I’m not using that as an excuse,” said Gonzales. “I did have to move a lot of players around, but we didn’t play well and didn’t support our pitcher, Nick Huston.”
Huston, the consensus best 13 year-old in the league, pitched well for the Rockies after a bout with control problems in the first inning when the Giants (7-10) scored two runs. Huston, who walked three in the inning, allowed an RBI single to Anthony Vasquez. Vasqez later scored on a wild pitch.
The Giants threatened to get more, but Drew Daniels was called out trying to steal third. It was a close play and the Giants contested
that Rockies third baseman Ben Hernandez had dropped the ball on the tag of Daniels. Needless to say, the Rockies hustled off the field and into the dugout before the call could be reversed.
Meanwhile, Vasquez started for the Giants and wasn’t sharp. He gave up two hits in each of the first two innings, but escaped unscathed. In the third, he felt pain in his throwing arm and his control left him. Kevin Gonzales singled with one out, then Huston walked. With two out, Zeke Lopez hit a high chopper in the infield and beat it out for a hit and an RBI. The throw went to first late and went awry as another run scored. Ben Hernandez’ second hit of the game tallied one more run. Tim Lango’s walk with the bases loaded forced in the fourth run of the frame as the Rockies led 4-3.
The Giants pulled even in the fifth. Vasquez scalded a single to left with two out, then moved to second on an error. Aaron Schulman legged out an infield hit, but once again, the Rockies compounded things with a throwing error, which allowed Vasquez to score his second run of the game.
The winning run, however, was earned. Jake Torrise singled in Wade Jacobson with two out off Rockies reliever Dean Wilkins, who absorbed the loss.
Josh Torrise gave up just a double to Danny Ayala in the fifth and pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win.
“Our kids came to play tonight,” said Giants manager Sarino Torrise.
The Giants earn a berth in the semifinals this Saturday against the top-seeded Cubs (13-3). That game is at 10 a.m. at Vet’s Park, followed by the White Sox vs. tonight’s A’s-Marlins winner at 1 p.m. The championship game is Sunday at 10 a.m.
Game notes: The Rockies outhit the Giants 9-5….Huston struck out the side in the fourth and had five strikeouts in all, pitching the first five innings….Huston was involved in an adventureous play on the basepaths in the bottom of the first. He rounded second a basehit from Wilkens as the ball caromed off the glove of Giants shortstop Josh Torrise. Torrise flagged down the ball and threw to Vasquez at third to nail the greedy Huston. Credit Vasquez for smartly covering a bag from his pitcher’s spot in a play that is not practiced normally….Schulman, playing catcher for the Giants, made a nice catch of a pop-up from Ayala in the second inning when the Rockies had runners on at second and third with one out. Vasquez recovered to strike out the final batter of the inning…..Daniel McDonald of the Rockies was the only player in the game to reach base all four times he was up. McDonald walked three times and blooped a single to left on an 0-2 count in the second inning.
Giants 201 011 1 – 6 5 1
Rockies 004 000 0 – 4 9 5
Vasquez, Jo. Torrise (5) and Schulman; Huston, Wilkens (6) and Lopez. WP-Jo. Torrise. LP-Wilkens. 2B – Ayala (R). 2 hits – Vasquez, Schulman (G); Gonzales, Hernandez (R).
