Rams rally to beat Warriors
Antelope scores 11 unanswered runs, including 8 in 7th inning, to top San Pasqual
After four innings, it looked like a repeat of last year’s matchups between San Pasqual and Antelope — wins of 11-1 and 12-4 for the Warriors — was bound to happen.
San Pasqual ace Frankie Rodriguez had eight strikeouts and one run allowed; he also hit a two-run home run. But the 4-0 lead slowly dissipated for the Warriors, as the Rams scored a run apiece in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Trailing by one heading into the final frame, Antelope unloaded to the tune of eight runs and beat the Warriors, 11-5, on Friday at San Pasqual.
“They beat us twice last year, so we were kind of thinking about that,” Antelope coach Rocky Jaime said. “We told them they were going to take their lumps in the first couple innings, but to keep grinding it out. We had confidence that we’d come back. I believe in the depth of our pitchers, and I knew our sticks would come alive.”
Antelope (2-0 AIA) had barely reached base with a hit during the six innings Rodriguez was on the mound. The three runs scored before the seventh were thanks to a slew of walks, hit by pitches and wild pitches.
ANT: 2-0 AIA SP: 0-1 AIA
“They know Frankie and they know what he’s got,” Jaime said. “We were trying to get him to go deep in his pitch count. That was the goal.”
San Pasqual coach Faron Owl said he could see Rodriguez was wearing down as the team’s first game of the season pressed on.
“He hit the ball well, and he pitched well,” Owl said. “It’s just that conditioning aspect. Once he gets the feel of the game and starts getting himself in a little bit better shape, he’s going to be fine.”
The hits finally came for the Rams in the seventh, though, when the Warriors (0-1 AIA) brought in Tommy Harrow for the save attempt in a 4-3 game.
Antelope’s Dustin Ricker led off the top of the seventh with a single, then Tito Rios was hit by a pitch. A hidden-ball trick on a feigned failed pick-off tempted Ricker to go to third base; he was caught and tagged out.
Antelope would score seven runs before the Warriors recorded the second out.
Brock Mann doubled home Rios to tie the game, then scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. After an error made it 6-4, Estevan Martinez had a runscoring double, and Bobby Irvin hit a two-run double two batters later.
“Our bench came up awesome in that seventh inning,” Jaime said. “Those were subs (Mann and Irvin) that got those hits. … They just came up clutch.”
Angel Esparza’s single scored the Rams’ 10th run, and the 11th came home on a dropped-third strikeout miscue by the Warriors.
“It’s all aspects right now of baseball for us to work on,” Owl said.
Brody Harris was the winning pitcher. He allowed one unearned run over two innings and struck out three batters.
The Rams are already halfway to their win total in 2016, when they went 4-12. This is the first time they have started the season 2-0 since 2009. Their next game is Monday at home against Salome, which they beat, 13-9, in their season-opener Wednesday.
San Pasqual’s next game is Tuesday at Yuma Catholic.