4/23:  Fresh off wins over Novato (13-3) and Casa Grande (7-2), the JV Giants headed to toasty San Anselmo looking to defeat Drake and stay in the hunt for first place in MCALs.  The Giants did just that, defeating Drake 9-4 and running their record to 13-5 on the season (9-2 in MCAL play).

Mikey Bender took the start on the mound for the Giants, and he was staked to a big lead early.  Charlie Ginsburg led off the game with a walk, and after stealing second and third, was driven home on an RBI groundout by Tommy Quanstrom.  The Giants struck for four runs in the second, highlighted by a two-RBI double by Asher Jacobs, whose long drive to left-center missed a home run over Drake’s short fence by only ten feet or so.  Thomas Johnson followed with another two-RBI double, and the Giants led 5-0 after two innings.  Not to be left out, Isaak Irmini-Kreft added a two-RBI double of his own in the top of the fourth.

Bender, who had been on cruise control for the first four innings, ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth and gave up four runs, due largely to a spate of hit batsmen and a questionable call from the home plate umpire that turned a line drive down the left field line that appeared to land foul into a fair ball and a two-run double.  When Bender reached his pitch limit, Ginsburg relieved him on the mound and limited the damage by recording the last two outs of bottom of the fifth, and after five full it was 7-4 Giants.

The Giants came through with a couple of insurance runs in the top of the seventh, although it was hardly necessary, as Ginsburg dispatched the Drake hitters with relative ease over his eight outs and closed out a 9-4 Giants win.

Johnson led the Giants in base hits on the day with three, and Ginsburg, Sam Rice and Ethan Crawford added two apiece.  Johnson also led in RBI with three, with Irmini-Kreft and Jacobs totaling two each.  Ginsburg, Sam McIntosh and Jacobs each scored two runs.

The JV Giants will look to finish the week strong when they host Terra Linda on Friday (first pitch 4:30 PM) and Dublin on Saturday (first pitch 2:00 PM).