CalL1 San Jose Giants

Giants Defeat High Desert To Earn Fourth Straight Win

Published on July 9, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release


Darren Ford had three hits and three RBI's while four San Jose pitchers combined to limit the high-powered High Desert offense to just two runs leading the Giants to a 6-2 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday evening at Municipal Stadium. High Desert put at least two runners on base in eight out of the nine innings, but stranded 13 on the base paths while San Jose never trailed en route to picking up their fourth consecutive win. With the victory, the Giants improve their second half record to 11-3 - tops in the North Division.

Oliver Odle (5-7) was credited with the win on the mound despite allowing a career-high 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings. Odle surrendered just two runs (one earned) with two walks and six strikeouts. Reliever Wilmin Rodriguez (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO) induced double play groundouts to end the sixth and seventh innings before Dan Runzler (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO) worked a perfect top of the eighth. Steve Edlefsen (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 SO) was then able to pitch out of a bases loaded, one-out jam in the top of the ninth to seal the victory.

High Desert's Jamie McOwen (2-for-4) extended his California League-record hitting streak to 45 games with an infield single to in the top of the first inning. McOwen hit a ground ball up the middle that was stopped by a diving Skyler Stromsmoe, but the shortstop's throw to first was not in time to record the out. McOwen also singled in the fifth as the hitting streak is the eighth-longest in the history of minor league baseball.

Ford (3-for-4, 3 RBI) was the lone San Jose player to finish the contest with more than one hit while Thomas Neal (1-for-3, HR, RBI) added his 14th home run of the season. High Desert out-hit the Giants by a 12-7 margin.

San Jose quickly jumped in front with single runs in the first and second innings against Mavericks starting pitcher Nate Adcock. In the bottom of the first, Nick Noonan drew a one-out walk before Neal was hit by a pitch and then Buster Posey walked to load the bases. Roger Kieschnick followed with a sacrifice fly to right field plating the first run of the game.

In the second, again a walk began a run-scoring rally as Aaron Lowenstein drew a one-out free pass before Stromsmoe doubled into the right field corner to put runners on second and third. Ford then produced the first of three RBI hits on the night lining a single into center field to bring home Lowenstein, however Stromsmoe was thrown out at the plate attempting to score a second run on the play.

High Desert put seven runners on base in the first three innings on six singles and an error against Odle, but failed to score in each frame. The Mavericks finally broke through in the top of the fourth as Alex Liddi led off with a double and advanced to third on the hit when Kieschnick misplayed the ball in deep right center field for an error. Two batters later, Travis Scott delivered a sacrifice fly to left cutting the Giants lead in half.

San Jose responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth as Conor Gillaspie reached second base to lead off on a pop up dropped in shallow right field when second baseman Daybis Benitez and right fielder Carlos Peguero collided. After the error, David Maroul belted an RBI double to the fence in right field while he eventually scored on Ford's two-out line drive single into left.

High Desert got one of the runs back in the top of the fifth when three consecutive singles from Benitez, McOwen and Peguero loaded the bases with one out before Liddi's RBI fielder's choice groundout to shortstop.

In the bottom of the fifth, Neal led off with a home run to deep left center field while Ford capped the scoring for the night in the sixth when he reached on a two-out infield single to plate Aaron Lowenstein, who had led off the frame with a single.

The Mavericks continued to threaten during the second half of the game as three walks loaded the bases in the sixth inning, however Rodriguez induced Benitez to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the rally. Then in the seventh, a one-out walk and a single put runners on first and second, but Rodriguez again pitched out of trouble as Joe Dunigan bounced into a double play to keep the Giants ahead by a 6-2 margin.

High Desert tried to take advantage of Edlefsen's wildness in the top of the ninth as the reliever issued three straight walks with one out to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the form of the league's leading hitter, Liddi. However, Edlefsen promptly struck out Liddi on four pitches before Dunigan grounded into a fielder's choice to end the game on a ball deflected off of Edlefsen's glove right to Noonan at second base.

The Mavericks were just 1-for-11 batting with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.

Adcock (5-5) suffered the loss after surrendering six runs (four earned) on six hits over five innings.

Notes: Wednesday's victory guarantees San Jose's 10th consecutive series win ... The Giants last lost a series from May 27-30 at Visalia ... Ford has nine RBI's in his last four games ... Odle is 3-1 in his last five appearances (four starts) ... Runzler has not allowed a run in his first 10 outings with the club (11 innings) ... San Jose leads the season series with the Mavericks, 4-2 ... The Giants' overall record now stands at 53-31 ... San Jose has outscored the opposition by a 38-8 margin during their four-game winning streak ... Giants pitchers have allowed only one earned run during the first two games of the series ... First baseman Angel Villalona suffered a strained left quadricep muscle while running the bases in Tuesday's game ... Villalona is expected to miss at least four weeks.

On Deck: The Giants look for a three-game sweep of the Mavericks when the teams conclude their series on Thursday evening at Municipal Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Clayton Tanner (6-3, 3.57 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for San Jose while High Desert is expected to counter with Jake Wild (4-4, 3.41 ERA). It's a KRTY Country Thursday at the ballpark and tickets can be purchased by calling (408)297-1435 or by visiting www.sjgiants.com.

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California League Stories from July 9, 2009


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