Freshman News | Redwood Baseball

Tyler Blair Shuts Out Vanden for Complete Game Victory

3/16: Tyler Blair struck out thirteen while giving up just three hits in a complete-game victory for the Giants today. Blair also helped his own cause, going 1-3 at the plate and scoring a run. The lone run would have been enough to secure the Giants victory today, but in usual fashion they wouldn’t settle for just one.

After a Zach Johnson to Charlie Welch double play ended a Vanden threat in the top of the first, starting pitcher Tyler Blair reached first on an error to lead off the bottom of the inning. Luca Bove would reach base by getting hit on the third pitch he saw during his first plate appearance. After a successful double steal by Blair and Bove, Connor Yang would rope a single to left, scoring Blair from third and Bove would score on an error by the the left fielder, putting the Giants up 2-0. Kent Goodman would follow with a single to center. Zach Johnson then roped a single to right, scoring Yang from second while advancing Goodman to third. Oliver Howard then hit a grounder to the right side, scoring Goodman to put the Giants up by four runs after one inning.

After Blair made quick work of Vanden in the top of the second, Matthew Jessen led off the bottom of the frame with a double to right. Blair sent Jessen to third on a fly out to right. Charlie Welch notched an RBI with a deep fly to center, putting the Giants up 5-0 after two innings.

Redwood was flawless in the field, recording no errors on seven chances. Yang, Goodman, Johnson, and Jessen combined for the five Giants hits, with Blair, Bove, Yang, Goodman, and Jessen scoring the Giants runs on the day.

Freshman Goodman gets Complete-Game Victory Against San Marin

3/14: After watching his older brother’s Varsity Giants drop their conference opener against San Marin earlier in the week, Freshman Kent Goodman would retaliate with a complete game win today. Goodman yielded only one earned run, striking out nine in the Giants 3-2 victory today at Endriss Field.

After giving up a run on a passed ball in the top of the first, Redwood scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Charlie Welch banged a one out single and advanced to scoring position on a botched pick-off attempt to start the rally. Luca Bove induced another error, reaching first and sending Welch to third. Connor Yang sent Welch home on a fly to center that was mis-played, putting runners on first and second. Bove and Yang advanced on a passed ball, and Kent Goodman helped his own cause by hitting a grounder to short, scoring Bove, putting the Giants up 2-1.

The Mustangs tied the score in the top of the fourth, on a two-out single to center. Goodman and the Giants defense held strong and with the scored notched at 2-2, Redwood would take the lead in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Kent Goodman reached first by…yes…getting hit by a pitch. Zach Johnson followed with a single to center. Kai Christman loaded the bases on an error by the third baseman, setting the table for pinch-hitter Nick Gerhman. Goodman scored the go-ahead run on a balk by the pitcher, putting the Giants up 3-2. Goodman shut down the Mustangs in the top of the inning to earn the complete game victory.

Goodman was responsible for two of the Giants runs, scoring in the sixth with an RBI on the day. Tyler Blair, Charlie Welch, Zach Johnson and Matthew Jessen combined for the four Giants hits.

The Freshman Giants host Vanden in a pre-season rain make-up on Saturday at Endriss Field.

Freshman Giants Hold on to Defeat Tam to Open MCAL Season

3/13: It looked like the Giants were going to cruise to an easy victory when they scored three runs in the first, after Tyler Blair led off the game by…yes…getting hit by a pitch, Charlie Welch walked and Luca Bove made both free passes sting when he sent a 1-0 fastball to right, scoring Blair and Welch. Zach Johnson would later knock Bove in for the third run of the inning. Starting pitcher Cole McGowan sent the Red-Tailed Hawks down in order in the bottom of the frame.

Nick Gehrman led off the top of the second with a single and Matthew Jessen followed suit, with a single to right. Charlie Welch didn’t waste any time roping a double to center, scoring both runners to put the Giants up 5-0. After Luca Bove was awarded first for…yes…getting hit by a pitch, Welch and Bove executed a double steal, setting the table for Connor Yang. Yang hit a hot smash that was mishandled by the third baseman, scoring Welch. Kent Goodman added an RBI, on a single to right, knocking in Bove. Zach Johnson tallied his second RBI on the day, knocking in Yang, to put the Giants up 8-0. After running into a little trouble, McGowan was lifted for Will Davis who had a perfect line, two and a third innings pitched, no hits, no walks, and three strike-outs. The Giants headed into the top of the fourth leading by five (8-3), but wouldn’t stop there.

Luca Bove led off the top of the fourth inning by…yes…getting hit by a pitch and would steal second and advance to third on a passed ball to Connor Yang, who took the count to 3-2 and then walked. After two quick outs, Will Davis would help his own cause and walk to load the bases. Nick Gehrman would notch an RBI by taking a bases loaded walk, scoring Yang. Matthew Jessen sent the Giants tally into double-digits with a single to center, scoring Goodman and putting the Giants up, 10-3. Redwood scored another run in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back singles by Kai Christman and Luca Bove started the inning. Jack Piediscalzi reached on error to load the bases. Kent Goodman sent Christman home by talking a walk, putting the Giants up 11-3.

Tam fought back, scoring two runs in the fifth, three more in the sixth to take the game to the final frame with the Giants up 11-8. Tam would score two more in the bottom of the seventh, but Tyler Blair would earn the save, ending the game with a put-out as he hustled to cover first from the mound on a grounder to first baseman Nick Gehrman, to record the final out of the game.

Welch, Christman Goodman, Gehrman each had a hit, while Jessen, Johnson, and Bove had two hits each.

The Freshman Giants are scheduled to host the rain make-up game against the San Marin Mustangs tomorrow at Endriss Field.

Freshman Score Thirteen for Second Win of the Year

2/23: After dropping a twelve-pack of runs against Saint Ignatius. on Thursday, the Freshman Giants did one better, posting a baker’s dozen on the road against the Dublin Gaels today. Despite being ahead 11-1 after four innings, Dublin does not have a ‘Mercy Rule’ so the teams battled for seven innings. Redwood would end the day with thirteen runs, eight hits, and were flawless in the field as they had no errors. Conversely, the Gaels had some issues navigating their own field as they ended with five errors on the day.

Colin Cunneen tags the runner on a pick-off play

The Giants used three pitchers with starting pitcher Kent Goodman pitching the first two innings, giving up just one run on two hits while fanning four. Cole McGowan got the bulk of the load, pitching four strong innings, giving up just one hit and striking out six. Lucas Atherton closed it out, giving up just one hit, striking out 2. Together, they combined for twelve strike-outs.

At the plate, Redwood bats remained hot with six Giants getting hits, and what seems to have become a theme this year, three Giants were hit, taking a free pass (Connor Yang, Jack Piediscalzi, Matthew Jessen). Connor Yang and Zach Johnson each had a hit while Charlie Welch, Tyler Blair and Luca Bove contributed two hits apiece to the Giants total. Bove belted a triple, his second in two games. Bove and Johnson led the team with three RBI’s each, on the day.

Luca Bove rips his second triple in two games

“This is the team I knew I had from day one. Excellent pitching, timely hitting and zero errors”, Head Coach Taber Watson said after the game, “We’re going to be a hard team to beat.”

The Giants will start their MCAL campaign on Monday when they host Novato at Endriss field at 3:30pm.

Big Third Inning Propels Freshman to First Victory

2/21: The Giants bounced back posting their first win of the year in a commanding way beating St. Ignatius 12-2 in four and a half innings at Endriss Field.

Staring pitcher Myles Kawashima sent the Wildcats down in order in the top of the first and after a couple of S.I. errors, Kent Goodman was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Zach Johnson made it hurt, roping a double to left, scoring Luca Bove and Connor Yang putting the Giants up 0-2 after one inning.

The Wildcats answered, after a couple of walks and a Giants error, S.I. plated their first run of the game. The Giants would give S.I. their other run of the inning, walking home a run and tying the score 2-2.

The Giants scored ten runs in the bottom of the third. Charlie Welch led off the inning with a single to left. Luca Bove crushed the 2nd pitch he saw in the next at bat for a triple and a RBI. Connor Yang knocked in Bove and reached on another S.I. error. Kent Goodman singled to right and Zach Johnson continued the hit parade with a single to left. Kent Goodman scored on a botched pick-off attempt and after Jack Piediscalzi walked, Matthew Jessen dropped a bunt, scoring Johnson. The Giants had scored five runs before S.I. could record an out and come up for air. Redwood’s first out of the inning proved to be productive one as Tyler Blair hit a fly to center that was deep enough to score Piediscalzi from third. Cole McGowan followed with a walk, and a pitching change by the Wildcats would yield the same result, as Charlie Welch walked to load the bases. Luca Bove would be the sixth batter in two games to get hit by a pitch, forcing Jessen home. Connor Yang then hit back, this time forcing an error by the third baseman scoring McGowan. Kent Goodman put the icing on the cake, rapping his second hit of the inning, plating Welch. After the dust had settled, Redwood was up by ten runs, enacting the ‘Mercy Rule’.

The Wildcats would need to score a run before the end of the fifth inning to continue play, but relief pitcher Tyler Blair and the Giants defense would not let that happen. The game ended in the fifth. “It was nice to get that first win out of the way. Having been so hampered by rain, it was great to knock the rust off and get a good team win.” Head Coach Taber Watson said after the game. The Giants combined for six hits (Welch, Bove, Goodman (2), Johnson (2)) and took advantage of nine Wildcat errors for the win.

The Giants are on the road to face Dublin on Saturday.

Freshman Drop Opener Against Vintage

2/20: Redwood’s starting pitcher, Kent Goodman, posted two shut out innings to start the game, striking out the side in the bottom of the second.

The Giants bats were quiet for the first three innings, taking the game into the bottom of the third, knotted in a 0-0 tie. With two out in the bottom of the third, Vintage strung together a double, a walk and three singles in a row, scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame.

Luca Bove led off the top of the fourth, getting on the hard way by getting hit by a pitch. Connor Yang stood up the best way you can for your fellow team mate, by driving a double on a 0-1 pitch to left, scoring Luca from first. Kent Goodman was then hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Will Davis advanced the runners to second and third on a fielder’s choice. Zach Johnson knocked in Yang from third on a sacrifice fly, and Kai Christman drove Goodman in on a grounder to the right side, putting the Giants up 3-2. The threat continued after Tyler Blair (photo0 singled and Cole McGowan became the third hit batsman of the inning, but was ended when a runner was picked off. Vintage tied the score after a walk and a couple of singles, and when it looked like the Giants would get out of the bases loaded threat, a wild pitch scored the runner from third.

The Crushers blew the game open, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Two more Giants would get plunked by Vintage pitchers, as Kent Goodman and Nick Gehrman led off the top of the sixth by getting hit. After a ground out, Kai Christman walked to load the bases. Tyler Blair would bang his second hit on the day, scoring Goodman for the Giants fourth and final run on the day.

Vintage would add one more, making the final score Vintage 8, Giants 4. The Giants had three hits on the day, two singles by Blair and the double by Yang. Blair, Yang, Johnson and Christman each tallied an RBI for Redwood.

Redwood hosts St. Ignatius on Thursday.

Frosh Giants Close Out MCAL Championship Season with Rout of Drake

5/11: The frosh Giants completed their season with a 9-1 victory over Drake in San Anselmo.

Mikey Bender cruised through five innings, striking out six while allowing only a single run. The Giants scored early and often, scoring four in the first and another run in the second and adding on from there. Ben Cohen, Bender and Tommy Quanstrom all had two hit days for the Giants. Bender and Quanstrom led the team in RBIs with three apiece, while Charlie Ginsburg led the Giants in runs scored with three. Zane Kempler closed the door with two scoreless innings.

The Giants took the MCAL regular season title with a remarkable 22 wins this year against only a single defeat. Kudos to the frosh and coaches Taber Watson, Corbin Wirta and Dan Watson on an outstanding season!

Frosh Giants Defeat Cardinal Newman

5/9: The frosh Giants rode another strong start from Ben Cohen to a 4-1 victory over visiting Cardinal Newman to run their season’s record to 21-1.

The Giants scored twice in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Tommy Quanstrom to score Cohen and a Mikey Bender grounder that was thrown away by Newman’s third baseman allowing Ethan Crawford to score.

Redwood doubled its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Bodie Jehling got things started with a one-out single. Charlie Ginsburg followed with a groundball single to right to advance Jehling to second. Cohen then hit a liner to left that Newman’s left fielder made a diving attempt on but missed. The ball scooted by, allowing Jehling and Ginsburg to score while Cohen coasted into third with a triple. After four innings, the Giants led 4-0.

The was more than enough for Cohen, who went six strong while striking out seven and allowing only one run. Quanstrom came in and put an exclamation point on the win, earning the save by striking out the side in order in the final inning.

Ginsburg led the team in hits on the day with two, and the Giants got strong defensive plays in the outfield from Asher Jacobs in center and Bender in right.

A terrific season for the frosh comes to an end this Friday in San Anselmo versus Drake. First pitch 4:30 PM.

Frosh Giants Defeat Novato for 20thWin of Season

5/5: The freshman Giants tallied win number 20 on the season with a 7-0 victory over Novato on Saturday at Endriss Field.

Tommy Quanstrom, Dillon Jensen and Zane Kempler combined to shut out the Hornets on a combined two hits. Quanstrom started and was dominant in his three innings, striking out seven Novato batters.

The Giants scored their first run in the bottom of the second, with Jack Bober knocking in Quanstrom with a sharp single to left. In the bottom of the third, the Giants tacked on four more on a Mikey Bender RBI single to score Jack Watson, a dropped fly ball off the bat of Kempler to score Thomas Johnson and Bodie Jehling, and a steal of home by Bender when the Hornets threw to second trying to get Kempler stealing from first.

The Giants added single runs in the fifth and sixth on a Kempler sacrifice fly to score Parker McMillan and a McMillan single to score Asher Jacobs.

Quanstrom, Jensen and Kempler kept the Hornet bats quiet all day – helped out by several standout plays from Jehling at shortstop. Bender led the Giants in hits on the day with two.

The 20-1 Giants now head into their final week of the season with games against Cardinal Newman on Wednesday at 4:30 PM at Endriss Field and Drake on Friday at 4:30 PM in San Anselmo.

Frosh Giants Defeat Tamalpais; Take Over First Place in MCALs

4/30: The freshman Giants rode a gutty effort from starting pitcher Ben Cohen and some early offense to defeat Tamalpais by a score of 7-3 on Monday afternoon at Tam High.

The Giants jumped on Tam for three runs in the top of the first. Tommy Quanstrom provided the big hit with a two-out single to center to score Cohen and Ethan Crawford. After Mikey Bender followed with a single, J.T. Dyer drove in Quanstrom for the final run of the inning.

The Giants added on in the second and third innings. In the second, Cohen drove home Bodie Jehling on a double to left. After Cohen stole third, Sam McIntosh brought Cohen home with an RBI groundout to stake Redwood to a 5-0 lead. In the top of the third, Dyer singled home Quanstrom, who had reached on a double, and through three innings the count was 6-0 Redwood.

Cohen, meanwhile, was pitching through a nasty blister on his pitching hand that deprived him of any feel with his curveball. Forced to go almost entirely with a fastball/changeup combination, Cohen nevertheless battled through five innings while yielding only two runs (one earned). After five innings, Redwood was up 6-2.

Bender relieved Cohen and picked up right where he left off, striking out three in his two innings of work. Redwood added a big insurance run in the top of the seventh on a Jack Watson single to right to plate Bender. Bender worked out of a jam in Tam’s last at-bat, fanning Tam’s final hitter with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate.

Bender and Dyer led the Giants in hits on the day with three apiece, while Quanstrom and Jehling pitched in two each.

The Giants record for the season now stands at 18-1. Next game for the frosh is Wednesday afternoon at Endriss Field against Marin Catholic. First pitch at 4:30 PM.

Frosh Giants No Hit Monte Vista

4/28: Tommy Quanstrom, Mikey Bender and Jake Zesiger threw a combined five-inning no hitter on Saturday afternoon at Endriss, as the frosh Giants cruised to an 11-0 win over Monte Vista to improve their season record to 17-1.

The game was scoreless through two innings, but the Giants broke through with crooked numbers in the third and fourth innings. J.T. Dyer led off the bottom of the third with a double to right-center. After advancing to third on a single to left by Zesiger, Bodie Jehling brought Dyer home with a sacrifice fly to right. After walks to Charlie Ginsburg and Ben Cohen to load the bases, Sam McIntosh drove in a pair with a single to left. Ethan Crawford followed with a sacrifice fly and Quanstrom a single to left to plate two more runs. Bender closed out the scoring with a booming drive to left-center for a double, and after three innings the Giants led 6-0. Bender’s hit was very nearly the Giants’ first homer of the year, hitting half way up the fence on the fly.

The Giants put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fourth. After Thomas Johnson and Asher Jacobs reached on Monte Vista errors, Sam Rice brought Johnson home with a single to left. Jehling followed with an RBI single to score Jacobs. After Ginsburg was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Cohen followed with a hard grounder that took a bad hop and got through the Monte Vista shortstop. The ball then seemed to defy the laws of physics and pick up speed as it split the gap in left-center for the seldom seen ground ball triple to clear the bases.

Meanwhile, Quanstrom, Bender and Zesiger were holding down the Monte Vista offense with relative ease. Their no-hitter was saved in the top of the fourth by a terrific diving catch of a sinking liner to center by Jacobs and the game was called based on mercy rules after Zesiger closed out the top of the fifth.

On Monday, the Giants will be looking to avenge their only loss of the season against Tamalpais. First pitch is set for 4:30 PM at Tam.

Frosh Giants Take Two from San Rafael

4/23 and 4/26: The freshman Giants rallied from a 3-2 deficit with a four-run fourth inning to defeat San Rafael 6-3 on Monday afternoon at Endriss Field. The Giants followed that up with a 12-3 victory over the Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon at San Rafael High.

In Monday’s game, Jack Bober kicked off the scoring for Redwood in the bottom of the second by singling home Mikey Bender. Bodie Jehling followed with an RBI single to score JT Dyer, and after two innings the Giants led 2-0.

After San Rafael rallied for three runs in the top of the fourth, the Giants struck back for four runs in the bottom half, highlighted by an RBI single by Bender and a Jake Zesiger fly ball that was misplayed by San Rafael’s right fielder to score two runs.

Bender and Dyer closed out the game, with Bender throwing two and two-thirds scoreless innings and Dyer throwing the final inning for the save. Jehling led the Giants in hits on the day, going three for three.

The two squads ran it back on Thursday, and the Giants blew open a tight game late with nine runs in their final two at-bats to win going away by a final score of 12-3. Dyer and Bender led the Giants offensively, each going three for four on the day. The Giants went with Johnny Wholestaff on the mound, with Jake Zesiger, Bender, Dyer, Dillon Jensen, Tommy Quanstrom and Zane Kempler each throwing on the day.

The Giants record for the season now stands at 16-1. Next game for the frosh is versus Monte Vista (Danville) at Endriss Field at 11:00 AM on Saturday.

Frosh Giants Break Out the Bats in Win Over Terra Linda

4/18: The frosh Giants scored early and often at Terra Linda on Wednesday afternoon and cruised to an 11-1 victory to improve their record on the season to 13-1.

Charlie Ginsburg opened the game with a single to center. After stealing second, Ginsburg scored on a Ben Cohen single to left. Sam McIntosh then singled to right, advancing Cohen to third. Ethan Crawford followed with a line single to left center, scoring Cohen and sending McIntosh to third. Tommy Quanstrom plated McIntosh with a sacrifice fly, and the Giants led 3-0 after their first at-bat.

The Giants added three more runs in the second. Thomas Johnson led off the inning with a walk. Ginsburg followed with a bloop single to right. Cohen brought them both home with a shot up the gap in left-center for a double. After Cohen advanced to third on a wild pitch, McIntosh brought him home with an RBI groundout.

Mikey Bender started on the mound for the Giants and was very impressive on short rest, striking out eight over his five innings of work and yielding only one run.

The Giants continued to add on in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, with Crawford, Quanstrom, Asher Jacobs, McIntosh and Bodie Jehling delivering RBIs.

Zane Kempler relieved Bender in the bottom of the sixth, striking out two to end the game after six innings based on MCAL mercy rules.

Cohen paced the Giants offensively with three RBIs and three runs scored. McIntosh, Crawford and Quanstrom had two RBIs apiece, and Ginsburg led the Giants with four runs scored.

Next game for the frosh is at San Marin at 11:00 AM on Saturday.

Frosh Giants Keep It Rolling with Defeat of Drake

4/17: The freshman Giants rode Jake Zesiger’s strong start to a 6-1 victory over Drake on Tuesday afternoon at Endriss Field. Zesiger went five innings, striking out six and yielding only one base hit. The Giants improved their record to 12-1 for the season.

The Giants scored single runs in the third and fourth innings on an RBI single by Charlie Ginsburg to score Bodie Jehling and an RBI groundout by Tommy Quanstrom to score Ethan Crawford.

With the lead at 2-0, the Giants opened things up in the bottom of the fifth. Thomas Johnson led off and doubled to deep right-center. Jehling followed with a single to left to advance Johnson to third. Ginsburg then singled to right to score Johnson and advance Jehling to third. After a walk to Ben Cohen to load the bases, Jehling scored on a wild pitch and Sam McIntosh brought Ginsburg home with an RBI groundout and the Giants lead through five innings was 5-0. The Giants added one more run in the bottom of the sixth when J.T. Dyer singled and ultimately scored on a throwing error by the Drake catcher.

Quanstrom and Dillon Jensen combined to record the final six outs for the Giants, with Jensen ending the game on a swinging strikeout.

Ginsburg led the Giants in hits and RBIs on the day with two of each, and Jehling paced the Giants in runs scored with two.

The freshmen travel to Terra Linda for their next game on Wednesday afternoon – first pitch at 4:30 PM.

Frosh Giants No-Hit San Rafael

4/14: Mikey Bender threw a complete game no-hitter to lead the freshman Giants to a 10-0 win over San Rafael under the lights at Albert Park on Saturday night. Bender overwhelmed the Bulldogs, striking out eleven over his seven innings while walking only three. The Giants upped their record to 11-1 on the season.

The Giants broke the game open early with a six-run second inning, highlighted by RBI hits by Bender, Charlie Ginsburg, Ben Cohen, Tommy Quanstrom and Sam McIntosh.

That was more than enough for Bender, who used excellent fastball command to move the ball all over the four strike zone quadrants and overpower the Bulldog hitters throughout the night. In addition to his fine pitching, Bender also led the Giants in hits on the evening with two.

Next up for the frosh (weather permitting) is Drake on Monday afternoon – 4:30 PM at Endriss Field.