Stallions stay hot with win in the cold
Tyler Takeda/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Brian Monges throws a pitch during a one-hit shutout of the Firebaugh Eagles during a 12-0 victory Saturday at Eddie Chapa Field.
With the weather feeling like the middle of the winter, the Madera South Stallions baseball team heated up with a 12-0 victory over the Firebaugh Eagles in the Central Valley Diamond Classic at Eddie Chapa Field.
The Stallions banged out nine hits and took advantage of three Eagles’ errors for the 12-0 victory Saturday. Brain Monges tossed a one-hitter in a five-inning complete game shutout that was called because of a 12-run mercy rule.
“It was taking care of business,” head coach Alan Sandoval said. “Firebaugh’s coach does a good job over there and they are down, talent-wise. They are still a team that gets after it. It’s good for us to come out and beat a team like that.”
Jasir Alvarez led the Stallions with three hits, including a double. He also scored a pair of runs. Seven other Stallions had hits and five others drove in runs.
“Jasir Alvarez had a good day at the plate,” Sandoval said. “Xavier (Cantu) had a big bases clearing double. It was good to see our guys driving in runs with two outs. We need more games like that.”
In five innings, Monges allowed five baserunners, but none reached second base. He allowed a two-out single in the first and picked the runner off to end the inning. Runners reached by errors in the second and fourth innings, but they were erased by forceouts. He hit a batter in the third, but got a flyout to end the inning.
Madera started a two-out, nobody on rally in the bottom of the first inning. Murf Gray got the rally started with a single up the middle. He went to second on a single by Alvarez and a walk by Monges loaded the bases.
Cantu hit the first pitch he saw to the right-centerfield gap that scored Gray, Alvarez and Monges for the early 3-0 lead.
Madera South added to its lead in the third inning. Gray got the rally started by getting hit by a pitch. Alvarez followed with a hit-and-run single to right to send Gray to third.
Monges singled to right to drive in Gray. Cantu reached on an error to load the bases. After a strikeout, Johnathan Spraggins hit a grounder to second. Firebaugh threw to the plate, but the catcher missed the throw and Alvarez came in to score.
Tang singled to left to drive in Monges and keep the bases loaded. Gilbert Moisa flew out to center, but it was deep enough to drive in Cantu for the fourth run of the inning and a 7-0 lead.
After the Stallions went down in order in the fourth, they put the game away in the fifth.
Cantu led off the inning with a walk. Pinch-hitter Jair Alvarez singled to left. Spraggins forced him at second.
After Spraggins stole second, the next batter struck out. Moisa drew a walk to load the bases. Anthony Gamiz singled up the middle to drive in Cantu for an 8-0 lead.
Gray hit a pop fly to shallow left that the left fielder missed for an error. Spraggins and Moisa scored for a 10-0 lead.
The game was thought to be over because of a 10-run rule, but instead a 12-run mercy rule was used and the game kept going.
Two pitches later, a wild pitch scored Gamiz and advanced Gray to second. Alvarez hit a deep fly ball to left-center field for a double to drive in Gray for the game-ending run in a 12-0 victory.
