The Golden Marlins and Giants got together Sunday afternoon at New Scotland for a typically close affair that was decided late in the game. Chris Abrams and John LaTorre held their opponents scoreless until the Goldens were able to plate a run in the top of the fourth. Skip Treece led off the inning with the first of his three singles and then stole second. TJ Scorsone followed with a RBI single. Mr. Abrams was able to avoid further damage with a strike out and a couple of fly balls. Meanwhile John LaTorre had breezed through four innings, giving up just one single, one walk, and a HBP. The fifth inning was a different story. The Giants strung together 7 singles (two of which were fly balls into a bright sun in right field). The Giants made the most of their good fortune, plating 6 runs to take a 6-1 lead. Jimmy K then brought on closer Steve Lounello for the sixth. Ageless Skip Treece greeted Steve with a solid single. After a stolen base and an error put men on first and third, Mike Girard lifted a fly ball to right that was lost in that same bright sun for a RBI double. Lounello retired the next two batters before giving up a RBI single to Jim McQuade to make the score 6-3. Lounello then got the next batter to ground into a force play to end the rally. The Golden Marlins were able to get two runners on in the seventh, and bring the tying run to the plate on singles by Maney and Treece (again!), but Lounello calmly got Scorsone to lift a fly ball to second base to end the game. Giants win and stay undefeated 6-3.
Just wanted to add some detail to the 6-run inning that enabled the Giants to improve to a very lucky 11-0.
Mike Lannon led off the inning with a sharp single to right. After one out, Lannon stole second, Bolt singled Lannon to third and then stole second. Tony Nardacci delivered them both with a single to right. Tony stole second before Steve Lounello skied out to right. With two outs and two strikes on Ron Smaka, he lined a single to left to score Nardacci. Smaka stole second and Dick Stark, who had hit a 3-run homer in the win over the Black Sox the previous game, was down 0-2 in the count, worked it back to 3-2, fouled off four pitches, then lined a single to center to score Smaka in what I believe was one of the key at-bats of the game. Jim Whitford then singled Stark to second before Jack Riley lofted a fly to right that was lost in the sun and Stark scored. Lannon then hit another ball down the right-field line that was also lost in the sun for a double and Whitford scored to cap the inning.
Also, the Giant stole 9 bases: Bolt had four, Nardacci three. Each also had two hits. Bolt has now been on base 7 of the last 8 times (four walks, 3 hits) over the last two games with 8 steals.
Also wanted to add to what Mike Girard said re: Skip. He has finally been able to play again with some regularity and he hasn't, um, skip-ped a beat. He made a great running catch in left field, had the three hits as Mike mentioned, one a bullet to left field off Lounello, which isn't easy to do. It was really good to see him back.
Also, the Marlins played without catchers Mike Ferraro and Curt Coons, SS Randy Craft and 3B Ron Lochner (and probably others I'm forgetting), though they missed nothing defensively with T.J. at SS, Girard catching and Phil "Mash'' Gadomski at 3B. But with the missing players in the hitting lineup, that is a completely different team.
Lochner sat in shorts with a tweeked hammie. Not his idea to sit. He was not a happy camper for sure! Giants played without SS Mike Labanowski and P/3B Mike Kane and an injured Gary Sorvari.
Abrams pitched five great innings for the Giants before giving way to Lounello in the 6th.
It doesn't get any easier over the Giants final 6 games of the season. Next up, the Ed Rogers-led Dodgers, who have only one loss this year. That team is also loaded top to bottom with great pitching and defense. They also beat our butts last year. Go figure: A Dodgers-Giants rivalry!
The Giants then play two games vs. the Blue Thunder, another vs. the Marlins, and one against the Veterans and Senators. (I'm already mentally fatigued from looking at that schedule). Seriously, if we go 3-3 the rest of the way, I'll feel fortunate.''
