Outlaws fall against Undertakers
As is usual when these two teams meet, an overpowered Los Altos Undertaker squad crushed an undermanned Flagstaff team.
Game 1: Cole v. Wacha – A great pitcher’s duel is marred by a single scoring outburst and Flagstaff winds up shutting out Los Altos, 8-0.
As Gerrit Cole and Michael Wacha were matching zeroes through five innings, the circus clowns made an appearance in the bottom of the sixth.
Andrew Knapp started trouble off with a leadoff double. Wacha’s pitch count had touched 101 pitches last half-inning, so Joe Panik was called to hit for him and he followed with an RBI single to break the drought. A walk is followed by a Denard Span RBI single. Paul Goldschmidt strikes out for the first out. But Aaron Judge picked Goldy up with a two-run single. George Springer drove Judge in with his own single. Then Cole plunks Jonathan Villar, ending Cole’s night.
Michael Lorenzen relieved Cole but gave up three more RBI singles. Flagstaff winds up sending 13 batters to the plate, scoring all eight runs.
W: Wacha (5-6)
L: Cole (8-3)
Sv: None
HRs: LAU – none; FLG – none.
Game 2: Hill v. Chirinos – After watching their bat be uncharacteristically be quieted, the Undertakers took no time in rectifying that. Jesus Aguilar launched a three-run homer in the top of the first. Aguilar would add an RBI double in the second inning to make it a 4-0 advantage.
Down 5-0 after four innings, Flagstaff punches back. Jordan Luplow pinch-hits for Yonny Chirinos and triples in Eduardo Nunez who had walked in front of him. Span flies out to right, letting Luplow trot home. Flagstaff would wind up loading the bases on a single and a pair of walk and Springer hits a second sac fly of the inning. Villar strikes out to end the rally, but Flagstaff had crawled back in the game, now down 5-3.
However, Los Altos was having none of that, immediately answering with a four-run sixth inning as Aguilar added another RBI after Matt Carpenter had a two-run double.
Los Altos wins, 9-3.
W: Hill (1-2)
L: Chirinos (3-5)
Sv: None
HRs: LAU – Aguilar (16); FLG – none.
Game 3: Roark v. Johnson – Flagstaff starts the scoring in the fourth inning as Springer and Panik each rack up RBIs off of Tanner Roark.
However, Brain Johnson can’t hold that lead as the Undertakers immediately answer with a two-run top of the fifth. Los Altos managed to load the bases with no outs when Roark helps his own case with an RBI knock. A.J. Ellis followed with a run-scoring walk. Ryan LaMarre grounds into a 5-2-3 double play to end the threat, but the score was now tied.
In the eighth, Los Altos gets going again. Mitch Garver comes off the bench to double off of Joe Smith. With one out, Shin-Soo Choo was intentionally walked to try and set up a double play as Garver had moved to third, but Steven Pearce hits a clutch single to give the ‘Takers the lead.
Flagstaff manages to get the tying run on second base in the ninth, but Jeremy Jeffress gets the final two outs for his first save of the season as Los Altos holds on, 3-2.
W: McHugh (3-0)
L: Smith (1-3)
Sv: Jeffress (1)
HRs: LAU – none; FLG – none.
Game 4: Smith v. Romero – Flagstaff is staked to an early lead in the first inning when Judge hits a two-run long ball.
It stays that way into the fifth when Fernando Romero is forced to leave the game with one on and one out, reaching his mandated inning limit for the season at that point. Victor Arano comes on to face the bottom of the Undertakers order, but gives up back-to-back doubles, drawing Los Altos even.
Joc Pederson gives his Undertakers the lead in the sixth with a run-scoring groundout that the Outlaws could not turn two on. Choo tacks another run on in the seventh and the Undertakers blast a pair of homers in the ninth to pull away, 7-2.
W: Moronta (4-0)
L: Buchter (0-1)
Sv: None
HRs: LAU – Ellis (2), LaMarre (2); FLG – Judge (12).