4/26: After a week off, the Giants returned to MCAL play with a matchup against Tam in Mill Valley. This game was real horrorshow, and I don’t mean that in a grand, Alex DeLarge sort of way. The teams were tied 2-2 at the end of 7, but Tam took the game in the 8th on walk-off walk.
There wasn’t a whole lot of offense in this game. The Giants had 5 hits, while the Red Tailed Hawks had just 4. The biggest difference in the game was that Giant hitters struck out 7 times, while the Hawks only tallied 4 punch outs. In addition, Redwood pitching walked 8 batters, while Tam pitchers only gave up one free pass.
Rory Minty got the start on the mound and he pitched well for 6 innings. He gave up 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks. Rex Solle came on in the 7th and he pitched a scoreless frame to keep the game tied at 2-2; however, he came back out in the 8th and couldn’t find the strike zone. He retired the first batter in the inning, but then walked 4 straight batters to force in the winning run. Inasmuch as Solle has been incredibly effective and dominant all season, I suspect that he will bounce back in heroic fashion since he is such an outstanding ballplayer. He just didn’t quite have it today, although I’m told by a fan who was behind the plate that the strike zone was very tight.
Without a doubt, this was team’s biggest loss of the season; however, the good news is that if the squad can rally and defeat Tam on Friday, they will reclaim first place. With that in mind, I think it’s fair to say that Friday’s game is a must-win, and given the stakes involved, I’m expecting a “John Kreese-no mercy-sweep the leg” type of intensity in that game. We’ll find out what this team is made of, and perhaps they will even learn what it takes to sell real estate.
The Giants now sit at 15-6 overall, 10-3 in MCAL. Friday’s game is at Moody.