Lowrie lifts A’s to win over Tigers; Crawford hits walk-off for Giants
DETROIT (TNS) – Jed Lowrie hit an RBI double in the fourth inning and Chris Bassitt pitched six innings, helping the Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 3-0 Wednesday night.
The A’s leaned on pitching and defense to win for the ninth time in 11 games and move five games over .500 for the first time this year. They did not clear the fences, ending their major league record streak of hitting a homer in 27 road games.
Lowrie did his part at the plate again with a gamewinning RBI for the third straight game. He drove in a tiebreaking run in the top of the ninth inning the previous two wins against the Tigers.
Bassitt (1-3) gave up two hits and five walks while striking out five. He had lost nine straight since his last win in the majors in 2015.
Yusmeiro Petit entered in the seventh for his first of two innings. Lou Trivino pitched the ninth for his second save in three chances, sealing the shutout.
Giants 1, Rockies 0 SAN FRANCISCO – Brandon Crawford homered with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give San Francisco its fourth straight win.
After starters Madison Bumgarner for San Francisco and Kyle Freeland for Colorado put up matching performances of seven spotless innings, the game was decided by the bullpens.
Left-hander Harrison Musgrave (0-3) entered in the ninth to face the lefthanded-hitting Crawford. The move backfired when Crawford launched a high drive that cleared the wall in right field for his third career walk-off homer, sending the Rockies to their fourth consecutive loss.
Crawford was mobbed by teammates at home plate as the Giants improved to 42-39 at the halfway point of the season, 12 games ahead of their pace from a year ago.
Reyes Moronta (4-1) got two outs for the win.
Bumgarner retired the first 14 batters he faced before Carlos Gonzalez became the first Colorado hitter to reach on a broken-bat double that landed just inside the left-field line.
Bumgarner walked the next two batters to load the bases before escaping the jam by striking out Freeland. The 2014 World Series MVP allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts in his second consecutive scoreless start. He pitched eight shutout innings to beat San Diego for his first win of the season last Thursday.
He continued to work hard that offseason, and this past winter, Dhatt earned his starting spot and went on to average 9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game while helping Yuba to a 25-6 record and a return trip to the Elite 8.
A player who could do a little bit of everything on the court, Dhatt was also named ALL-BVC despite missing six conference games with an ankle injury.
It was no surprise that colleges took notice in the 6-foot-5 wing, and last week, Dhatt achieved a life-long goal by signing a National Letter of Intent to continue his playing career at Cal State East Bay, an NCAA Division II school in Hayward.
“It’s been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember,” Dhatt said. “Having the opportunity to play at a four-year school was something I’ve wanted my whole life, and I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Dhatt took his official visit to Cal State East Bay in April and knew quickly that it was the right fit for him. He also had offers on the table from Stanislaus State, Humboldt State, Cal State Maritime and even an Ivy League school in Cornell, but it was the Pioneers who started talking to him early in the recruiting process and kept in touch with him throughout the season.
“They were there from day one at the very first tournament in San Francisco. They showed interest in me after that tournament, and (head coach Bryan Rooney) and I have been in contact since then,” Dhatt said. “I definitely like the coaching staff and the players there. I like the way they run things.”
Dhatt had plenty of people to thank for helping him reach his goal, including 49ers coach Doug Cornelius, who pushed him to be the best he could be.
“When I first stepped foot on the court, Coach Corn always said you have to earn your spot. He definitely helped me out and sent me on the right path,” said Dhatt, who has bulked up to 195 pounds after weighing just 165 as a freshman. “Playing at Yuba matured me and made me a better basketball player. I improved tremendously out there thanks to Coach Corn.”
Dhatt will major in engineering at Cal State East Bay and hopes to play professionally overseas once he graduates.
“I have to give thanks to my parents, my close friends and my sister, Jasmine. She’s been my biggest fan and they’ve all supported me from day one,” Dhatt said. “I’m just excited about getting my degree and looking forward to having a winning season.”