Redwood JV Stands Tall in Home Opener

3/23:  After more than one year of MCAL competition, the Redwood Junior Varsity Giants opened the season at home with a commanding 19-2 victory over San Marin today at Endriss Field.  The season opener that could be considered unusual to players as they, coaches and umpires wore masks, was equally unusual to fans as they socially distanced while following ‘COVID Protocols’ in the stands.

Despite the abnormality of the ‘New Normal’, the Giants represented Redwood Baseball between the lines from the jump as starting pitcher Max Funk needed only ten pitches in the first inning to send the game to the bottom of the first.  Merritt Brinckerhoff took one for the team for a hit by pitcher to start the Giants offense.  After stealing second, Merritt would score on a grounder hit by Nick Scott that the third baseman airmailed over the first baseman’s head.  Rory Minty sent Scott to third on a grounder to the right side and Ben Resnick tallied his first RBI of the season on a deep fly to center, putting the Giants up 2-0 after one inning.

Funk was again effective in the second and third, putting up a zeros for San Marin.  In the bottom of the third after a few errors and a single by Danil Wells to load the bases, pinch runner Ezekial Stone scored on a walk to Jasper Nadel to put the Giants up 3-0.  With the bases loaded, Bodhi Bartle sent a 1-2 pitch deep over the centerfield wall for a grand slam, creating a commanding 7-0 lead for the Giants after three innings of play.

The Giants would continue their onslaught, tallying thirteen hits with only one error in the field while striking out only four times at the plate.  San Marin helped the Giants efforts with seven errors in the field.  Offensively, Nick Scott added a homer, Funk helped his own cause with a double, Minty had a double and a triple, and Sam Sumski ripped a double as well.  Brinckerhoff, Resnick, Wyatt Turkington, and Harrison Lapic also had singles, and Wells had two hits on the day.  Bartle was the RBI leader with four, and Resnsick and Scott scored three times each for the Giants.

Funk earned the win, pitching five complete innings, walking one and giving up one run.  Jasper Nadel pitched the last two innings, giving up one run while striking out two and walking none.

The Giants are on the road on Friday at San Marin at 4:30.

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