17-Hit Outburst Propels Giants to Third Straight Win
Published on August 4, 2023 under California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release
The San Jose Giants earned their third straight win over the Inland Empire 66ers to open the series with an 8-2 triumph at San Manuel Stadium. A night after collecting 16 hits, the Giants continued to surge offensively pounding out 17 more hits on Thursday evening en route to another victory. San Jose (56-43 overall, 16-17 second half) improved to 5-4 on their Southern California road swing with three games remaining on the trip.
Andrew Kachel (4-for-5, 2 RBI) had four hits - all singles - and drove in a pair of runs to lead the way offensively for the Giants. Onil Perez (3-for-5, 2B, RBI) added three hits while Anthony Rodriguez (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI) produced a key two-run double. Diego Velasquez (2-for-4, 2B), P.J. Hilson (2-for-5, RBI) and Jose Ramos (2-for-5, 3B) also contributed multi-hit efforts at the plate. San Jose has knocked out 44 hits and scored 25 runs over the first three games in the series.
The Giants trailed for the first time in the series when Inland Empire scored twice in the bottom of the third inning on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead. San Jose starter Mauricio Estrella began his outing with two scoreless frames, but ran into trouble in the third. With a runner at second base and two outs, Kevin Watson Jr. blasted an RBI triple off the fence in deep right center to put the 66ers on the board. On the next pitch, Cole Fontenelle lined a single into right plating Watson Jr. to make it 2-0.
The Sixers' lead though was short-lived. San Jose received hits from seven of the first eight batters in the top of the fourth scoring five runs in the inning and then never looking back. Three straight singles from Velasquez, Perez and Kachel to start the frame produced the first Giants run. After Dilan Rosario flied out, Rodriguez stepped to the plate and doubled off the wall in the left field corner to bring home both Perez and Kachel giving San Jose a 3-2 lead. Hilson was up next and he delivered an RBI single to left as Rodriguez scored the fourth run of the inning. Then after Ramos singled, an Alexander Suarez RBI single capped the fourth inning scoring as the lead grew to 5-2.
Wilkelma Castillo relieved Estrella to begin the bottom of the fourth and fired three scoreless innings of long relief to maintain the three-run cushion. In Castillo's first inning of work, Inland Empire loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a single, however leadoff batter Nelson Rada grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat. Castillo then breezed through a perfect fifth inning before pitching around a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth.
The Giants added another run in the top of the seventh as Turner Hill was hit by a pitch before Velasquez's sacrifice bunt attempt was mishandled by 66ers pitcher Quinton Martinez for an error. Perez followed by grounding into a double play, but Kachel came through with a clutch two-out hit as his line drive single to left scored Hill to make it 6-2.
Cameron Cotter then entered from the bullpen to start the bottom of the seventh and needed only eight pitches to work a scoreless inning. The catcher Perez threw out an attempted base stealer at second base during the inning - his second caught stealing on the night. Cotter then fanned two in the eighth working around a two-out single.
San Jose scored their final two runs of the contest in the top of the ninth. Velasquez led off with a double to deep right and immediately scored when the next batter, Perez, laced a double down the left field line. After Kachel singled for his fourth hit and Rosario struck out, Rodriguez knocked in his third run of the game with a single as Perez came home for an 8-2 advantage.
Cotter then slammed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.
Castillo and Cotter combined to pitch six scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Giants. Castillo (2-0), who walked two and struck out two during his stint on the mound, notched the win. Cotter struck out four with no walks in his three innings of work to pick-up his third save of the season.
San Jose out-hit Inland Empire 17-7. The Giants were 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position compared to only 2-for-5 for the Sixers. Eight of the nine players in San Jose's lineup recorded at least one hit with six players finishing with multi-hit games. The Giants are now 8-1 against Inland Empire this season.
Andrew Kachel had four hits on Thursday night to raise his season batting average to .302.
The Giants continue their series versus the 66ers on Friday evening with first pitch at San Manuel Stadium set for 6:35 PM. The game can be heard live on sjgiants.com.
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- 17-Hit Outburst Propels Giants to Third Straight Win - San Jose Giants
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