| With Red Bluff clinging to a 3-2 lead, the Spartans
added two runs in the top of the seventh inning to overthrow Paradise,
5-3, Tuesday on the road. Lucas Sandow hit a double and Simon Villalvazo cranked his third home run of the year to provide some much-needed insurance, as the Bobcats would fight for a run during their final stand and end the game with the tying run on base. Cody Gappa started on the mound for the Spartans and the sophomore worked out of several jams to stay undefeated on the mound. He earned his fifth win by pitching five innings, allowing two unearned runs on seven hits. He struck out three with no walks. Reliever Ben Redfield also came in throwing strikes to pick up his second save. He gave up an unearned run on three hits with no walks and five punch-outs. Villalvazo and Josh Penne each collected three hits to fuel Red Bluff's offense, and Sandow scored twice. Red Bluff found itself in a 2-0 hole in the first inning, as the Bobcats got a pair of hits out of the heart of the order after a two-out error on the infield. Gappa put the Spartans on the board in the top of the second, hitting a one-out single, moving to second on a balk and scoring on a base hit by Lance Zazueta. Sandow singled and scored the tying run on passed balls in the fifth. Sandow and Villalvazo hit back-to-back singles, and pinch-hitter Chris Jones was hit by a pitch. Villalvazo advanced to third on the passed balls, and scored the go-ahead run on E.J. Stanton's RBI single. Not counting the base-runner Villalvazo threw out trying to steal in the first inning, Paradise stranded nine ducks on the ridge. Red Bluff also left 10 men on base. The pitchers made pitches when they needed to and the defenses made plays, which made a game featuring 22 hits very exciting to watch as runs were somehow kept off the board on both sides. The Spartans (3-0 EAL, 13-1) host Pleasant Valley on Friday at 7 p.m. |
Lance Zazueta |