Mick Tate’s been around baseball for a long time. However, the Pitman High baseball coach has never seen one of his teams walk 10 batters, hit three others and still win a game.
Ugly only begins to describe the Pride’s 15-9 win over Merced on Thursday afternoon.However, you’re not going to see Tate or his player apologize for a much-needed win.
“Baseball is an amazing game,” Tate said. “It continues to prove that on a daily basis.”
It’s hard to believe the same two teams played a 1-0 game just two days earlier, with Merced winning.The Bears had their own problems on Thursday, committing seven errors.
“We probably shouldn’t have been in the game,” said Merced coach Lou Souza, whose team dropped a game behind Buhach Colony in the Central California Conference. “We played ugly. They played ugly. I guess their ugly was prettier than our ugly.”
The Pride (5-5, 14-6) have struggled finding a second starter since Tyler Arnsberg injured his arm a couple weeks ago.
Right-hander Jordan Gonzalez was pulled in the second inning after walking four straight batters to force in two runs.
The Bears gave the lead right back in the bottom of the second inning. The Pride scored six runs with the help of four Merced errors.
The big blow in the inning was a two-run double by A.J. Derr.
Merced spent the rest of the game playing catch-up.
The Bears evened the score at 6-6 with four runs in the fourth
Pitman answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Another pair of Merced errors opened the door for a three-run rally to make it 9-6.
The lead didn’t last long, as the Bears
Tate called on Derr to get out of the jam, but he walked two runs in and threw a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score.
“I’m always ready to do something,” said Derr, who went 3 for 5 at the platewith four RBIs
Derr managed to get out of the fifth inning with the game tied with a strikeout and a groundout. He then breezed through the final two innings.
Pitman finally put the game away with six runs in the bottom of the sixth. This time it was Merced starting the inning with three walks.
Grayson Kennedy delivered a big two-out, two-run single and Derr later added a two-run double during the winning rally.
“I don’t remember winning a game like this where we walk 10 and hit three, but we’ll take it,” Tate said.[BODY]
ATWATER — Kert Woods and Kevin Mendoza each had a two hits and knocked in a pair of runs as the Thunder took sole possession of first place in the CCC at 8-2.
Turlock 13, Atwater 1
TURLOCK — The Bulldogs pounded out 13 hits as they defeated the Falcons to improve to 5-5 in the CCC.
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