Pitching fails to save Casa

Casa Grande let a superb pitching effort by Nick Bostow and Jack Hill go unrewarded Monday night when they lost a non-league encounter with Vintage’s talented Crushers, 4-3.|

Casa Grande let a superb pitching effort by Nick Bostow and Jack Hill go unrewarded Monday night when they lost a non-league encounter with Vintage’s talented Crushers, 4-3.

Playing on the Norman Rockwell-like dream diamond at the Veterans Home in Yountville, Casa Grande rode a three-run fifth inning into the lead going into a ragged sixth inning, and then ended in a hurt when Vintage squeaked out the winning run in the last of the seventh.

Strike-throwing senior Bostow kept the heavy-hitting Crushers off balance for five strong innings, scattering five hits, while striking out three. Most impressively, he walked just two. Unfortunately, both freebees cost him. A two-out walk to Jacob MacNichols in the first led to a run, and a pass to Matt McLeod in the sixth forced home the game-tying run.

Hill pitched out of a real mess to keep the game tied in the sixth and, although he gave up the winning run in the seventh, it might have been different had Jared Horn’s smash been hit directly at shortstop Tyler Moore rather than just off to one side.

Casa Grande had eight hits in the game, and shot several other line drives directly at Vintage defenders.

The Gauchos worked from an early deficit when Joe Canepa, Vintage’s Division 1-bound hulk of a first baseman, followed MacNichols’ walk in the first with a blast high off the vine-covered right field fence for a run-producing double.

Casa Grande left runners stranded against Crusher starting pitcher Horn in each of the first two innings, but battered his replacement. Yuto Katahira-Ables, for all three of its runs in the third.

A smash by Spencer Torkelson that was too hot for Vintage shortstop Aaron Shortridge to handle started the rally. Torkelson was chased home by Casey Longaker’s double down the left-field line. With two outs, Blake Berry, Chris Joaquim and Justin Bruihl slapped consecutive hits. The rally might have produced more had Joaquim not been thrown out at the plate trying to score on Bruihl’s up-the-middle single which had already plated Berry.

It looked for awhile like the Gauchos might not have to score again.

Things changed with a pair of infield fielding miscues in the sixth inning. A single by Juan Carlos Lopez opened the inning. An infield miscue followed with the tying runs on base and super slugger Canepa coming to the plate.

Bostow pitched masterfully to the left-handed power man, striking him out on a 3-2 pitch.

Unfortunately for the pitcher, the big whiff was followed by another miscue by his infield and a head-scratching decision by the blue-collared arbitrator working the base paths. The error cost an out to put two runners on. MacNichols bunted, with Bostow making an excellent play to try to throw the batter out. The umpire thought differently, and ruled the Crusher safe, loading the bases.

The decision meant that, when McLeod walked on a 3-2 pitch, the tying run was forced home. Hill came on to frustrate the Crushers by getting a pop to short left and a strikeout to leave the bases stuffed.

Casa Grande tried in the top of the seventh, putting two runners on base with a walk to Moore and a sharp single to right by Torkelson, but a pop-up and a long fly to center by Bostow left hope on the base paths.

A walk allowed the first Vintage batter in the bottom of the seventh, Gabe Meyers, to reach base. He was quickly sacrificed to second and moved to within sniffing distance of a win on a wild pitch.

Hoping for a force at home, Casa coach Paul Maytorena deliberately loaded the bases by walking MacNichols and Canepa, the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters. The strategy almost worked.

Horn hit a shot at the in-close Moore that was just enough to his left to prevent him from fielding the ball cleanly as Reyes scampered home with Vintage happiness.

Torkelson hit the ball hard all four times he had an opportunity for the Gauchos, collecting two hits, reaching on an error and driving a ball right at the third baseman that was converted into a force out. Bruihl had two hits and a walk.

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