Pinto Division
Angels vs. Mariners
Ryan Mitchell and Westyn Herscovitch turned a double play for the AngelIn the fist inning. Westyn and Sean Silveira both had RBI triples. Sean and Holly Lam combined for an out at second base. Holly Lam hit a double and a singled for an RBI. Brandon Lefore made a nice throw for an out at first base and singled for an RBI. Patrick Hanne hit a double. Brandon Duran had two singles with RBIs. Jordan Cambra had a single. Jessica Mitchell singled with two RBIs. Christopher Schweitzer had a single then sacrificed for a run in. Rayce Pipkin had two singles and an RBI. Andrew Bartunek singled and scored a run in at the fourth inning.
Bronco Division
D’backs 7, Braves 6
For the Diamondbacks, Ernest Marquez hit a triple, and both Alex Muhn and Michael Gerlach were 2-for-3 with a double each. Ryan Moyano and Charlie McClung were 2-for-4, and Eric Robertson and David Dickstein were 2-for-3 for the Braves. Max Crowley had a strong game at second base for the Diamondbacks. Nick George, Gerlach and Matt Carroll pitched well. McClung threw two scoreless innings for the Braves.
Yankees 13, D’backs 11
Unlike their first two games, which were pitching duels, the Yankees and Diamondbacks decided to slug it out and see who could outscore the other.
The Yankees scored all of their runs in two innings while bashing 13 hits and accepting eight walks. The Diamondbacks turned three double plays, two on line shots down the line to limit the damage. The Diamondbacks rang up 11 hits and had four walks and a hit batter. Pitchers Myloe Esquivel of the Diamondbacks and Chris Barber of the Yankees brought some order at the end of the game.
The Yankees started the fireworks in the first by batting around and scoring five runs. Barber singled and Blake Winzeler doubled on the first two pitches of the game. Kenny Howell was safe on a hard hit ball. With two outs, Jim Molnar singled in a run, Joey McGee tripled in another and Timmy Davey walked. Jake Plafker then cleared the bases with a booming triple.
In the third inning, the Yankees sent 12 men to the plate, scoring eight runs. Molnar tripled twice during the inning, Cameron Willis singled and Barber hit a grand slam sandwiched between walks. Several Yankees had multiple hits in the game: Barber (4), Molnar (3), Willis (2) and Davey (2).
The Diamondbacks got three runs back in the bottom of the first on the first of two doubles by Eric Martin, a single by Robert Valenti, a walk and an error. They scored three more in the third on an error and singles by John Stemel and Martin. Joey Stryker doubled in a run in the fourth after an error. In the sixth inning, the Yankee defense faltered a little and the Diamondbacks were able to score four unearned runs. Martin and Chris Carin had RBI hits during the inning.
Pony Division
Yankees 15, A’s 10
In a shootout of two of the top hitting teams, the Yankees started out quick by scoring five runs in the first inning. Chris Barber and Cameron Willis singled, and Kenny Howell and Joey McGee walked. Jake Plafker hit a bases loaded triple for three runs. The A’s got out of the inning when Kevin Vye stuck out a pair of batters, and Jeff Heil back doored a runner at third to end the inning.
The A’s responded with two runs in the bottom of inning when Ryan Evanger tripled. Vye reached on a hard hit ball and great speed. Timmy O’Rourke singled Vye home. Chris Barber singled for the second inning in a row for the Yankees and scored on Blake Winzeler’s single. Winzleler scored on a sacrifice by Howell. Willis, Jim Molnar and McGee all walked to load the bases for the second inning in a row.
But Vye got a grounder to first, and O’Rourke got an unassisted put out. On the mound for the Yankees, Willis shut down the A’s with three strikeouts on twelve pitches. Barber and Winzeler walked in the third but were stranded when Vye got his fourth strikeout of the game to end the inning. Heil singled, Vye tripled and scored on a passed ball. The Yankees were able to take a 7-4 lead after the third inning.
Taylor O’Connell came into pitch the fourth for the A’s. Molnar singled and scored on McGee’s single to add a run. The A’s matched it when O’Connell walked and scored on Matt Kelly’s single. As this see-saw game went, the Yankees scored four runs in the fifth with a single by Derrick Rinauro, walks to Kyle Hennings and Howell and a double by Davey.
The A’s added one when Vye hit his second triple of the game and scored on a single by O’Connell. O’Connell sat down the Yankees in order when he picked off the third out at first base. Nick Carlson led off the inning with a perfect bunt down the third base line. Howell pitching for the Yankees got a picture perfect 6-3 double play from Chris Barber to Plafker and another great play by Barber to rob a hit up the middle .
In the top of the seventh, the Yankees had a two-out rally capped by a two-run home run by Jim Molnar.
The A’s again answered and brought the tying run to the on deck circle with the bases loaded. But McGee, the Yankees’ sixth pitcher of the game. came through with the strikeout to secure the win.
Yankees 19, Giants 6
The two teams essentially played two games in one: a low scoring pitching duel and then a slugfest. In the Giants’ first, Zack Niehaus walked with one out, and Nick Sandoval sliced a long ball to right field that ended up as a two-run homer. Giant hurler Jason Conrad held the Yankees hitless in the first two innings, relying on his defense for all six putouts. The Giants surrendered the tying runs in the third when Barber doubled in Robert Silva and then scored on an error.
The fourth inning was the turning point. The Giants’ Brian Costello tripled with one out and a 2-2 score. With the infield in, pitcher Cameron Willis struck out the next batter and then intentionally walked the dangerous Sandoval, who was 3-for-3 in the game and scored three runs. Willis then induced a flyball out to left, with Michael Guio making a solid catch, to strand two runners. In the bottom of the fourth, the Yankees lit up the scoreboard by sending 13 men to the plate and scoring nine runs.
The Yankees, who do not have a set starting lineup for every game, enjoyed tremendous production from their reserves-du-jour. Catcher Jim Molnar walked to start off the fourth. Jake Plafker, who had just entered the game, hit the first of his two hard singles in the inning. Timmy Davey walked to load the bases, bringing up Guio for his first at-bat. Guio promptly doubled home two runs.
The Yanks scored four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
Plafker was the catalyst for the Yankees, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and solid play at first base. The Yankees pounded out 16 hits, also getting multiple hit games from Barber (2), Howell (3), Molnar (3) and Guio (2).
The Giants fought back with two two-run innings. Costello and Sandoval singled and each scored in the fifth. In the seventh, Niehaus walked and Sandoval doubled. Brian Yates and Conrad followed with singles to keep the rally alive. However, Rinauro ended the game by making a running catch down the line in right and throwing a strike to Howell at first to double up the runner.
Angels 10, Giants 4
In the first inning, the Angels drew first blood after a Billy Hill base hit and an RBI-single by James Johnson drove in Danny Nelson, who had walked. Pitchers Anthony Guidry for the Angels and Jason Conrad for the Giants pitched very well over the first two innings, and the Angels had the 1-0 lead going into the third inning. Paul Tuttle reached base on an error, and Rajan Bansal walked. With one out, Zach Niehaus hustled to first on a dropped third strike and Nick Sandoval doubled, driving in two runs. Troy Pearson followed with an RBI-groundout and the Giants had a 4-1 lead.
The Angels responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, with consecutive hits from Hill, Kevin Grove and Johnson. Guidry pitched five complete innings, allowing only one walk and striking out two. He retired the side in order in three of his five innings.
The Angels put the game away in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring seven runs. Johnson went 3-for-4 and reached base all four times, and Hill scored three runs for the Angels. Chris Sanine had an RBI-single. Johnson came in to pitch the final two innings and struck out three batters. For the Giants, Justin Ching, Pearson and Brian Costello all had hits.
Angels 12, Athletics 4
The Angels jumped on top of the A’s in the first inning, as Jonathan Hughes singled, Kevin Grove and Billy Hill both walked and Anthony Guidry singled. A series of wild pitches allowed three runs to score. After the A’s scored a run in the second inning, the Angels responded with four more runs.
Travis Avilla, Danny Nelson, Hughes and James Johnson all scored, with the RBI’s coming from Grove and Johnson. Starting pitcher Jonathan Hughes pitched four strong innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out five. Kevin Mom came in to pitch the final three innings for the Angels and did not allow a run.
Mom struck out five as well and stranded Tim O’Rourke at third base after his triple. O’Rourke went 2-for-4 to lead the A’s offense, and Taylor O’Connell also had two hits. Ryan Evanger, Jeffrey Heil, Jonathan Simcho and Brett Silvetti also had hits for the A’s. For the Angels, Mom went 2-for-2 with a long triple to left field and scored two runs. Johnson and Guidry both had two hits for the Angels. Steven Johnson, Nelson, and Avilla also had base hits.
