Varsity Runs Record to 9-0 with Two Game Steamrolling of Novato

4/13: The Giants cruised to a 16-1 victory at Novato behind another strong start from junior Tyler Blair and eighteen base hits from the offense.

Redwood put up crooked numbers in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings to blow open a game that was scoreless through the first two innings. Mikey Bender had the big blow for the Giants, cranking a high fastball deep down the left field line for a three-run homer, the Giants’ first of the year.

Bender led the offensive attack in all categories, with threes across the board in hits, runs and RBIs. Charlie Welch, Luca Bove, Ben Cohen, Sam Rice, Josh Marrero and Ethan Crawford each added two hits for the Giants. Bove tallied three RBIs as well.

Blair was in command again on the mound, striking out six over his four innings while yielding only one unearned run. Blair showed solid command of his fastball, curve and changeup and had the Hornets off balance all afternoon. Miles Kawashima, Grant Stoll and Nick Gehrman finished it off with one scoreless inning apiece.

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4/16: Mikey Bender and Sam Rice combined to shut down the Hornets and the offense again put up big numbers in the middle innings en route to a 13-1 victory at Moody Field on Friday afternoon.

Charlie Welch, looking like he could roll out of bed and get base hits, went 4-4 to lift his season average to .545. Cole McGowan and Sam Rice also added two hits each.

Bender took the start on the mound and largely silenced Novato over his four and a third innings for the win. Bender had the fastball and big overhand curve working, finishing with four strikeouts against a single base on balls. Rice came in to finish it off, striking out four in the final two and two-thirds innings. Rice’s season-long abuse of opposing baserunners continued, as he picked off two Hornets at first base with his extremely deceptive pickoff move.

Ben Cohen, playing the field for the first time this season after DH-ing for the first eight games as his recovery from offseason elbow surgery progresses, tied for the team lead in RBIs with two, along with Welch, Rice and Ethan Crawford.

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The Giants face off against Drake for three games next week – Tuesday in San Anselmo and Thursday and Friday at Moody (all games 4:30pm).