Caps Thump Legends 19-7
Palo Alto, Calif. – Sometimes when you show up to the ballpark you just don’t have your best stuff and it is an off day. Sunday was one such day. Menlo Park allowed several big innings to the Pacific Union Financial Capitalists and for the second time in as many days they were victorious over the Legends. Sunday’s final: 19-7 in favor of the Caps, who were playing at Palo Alto High School. Legends pitching allowed 19 hits, 10 walks, and the defense committed 3 errors. All around it was a forgettable game right before the off day on Monday. Menlo Park falls to 12-7-1 while the Caps improve their record to 8-4-1.
RJ Williams gave the Legends a jumpstart to the ballgame when he turned on a pitch in the first at bat and sent it over the left field wall. His second homerun of the summer put the Legends up early 1-0 and it would stay that way until the bottom of the second when Austin Todd hit a homerun to the same spot in left to tie the game. After two innings, Legends starting pitcher Tanner Disibio was in decent shape, showing some command of the fastball on both sides and elevating when he needed to get effective outs.
The third inning is when the Caps decided to run away with the ballgame and derail the outing for Disibio. In the third, Andrew Daschbach, Javier Valdes, and Austin Todd hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns off Disibio and at that point had a commanding 6-1 lead. It was the second time in the past seven games that Legends pitching has allowed three consecutive homeruns, usually a rarity in baseball. Disibio would get out of the third after allowing one more run but left trailing 7-1 and things did not get better from there.
The only relief pitcher on the day for Menlo Park that did not allow a run was Jake Swiech, who pitched an inning and a third in the middle of the game. Matt Bergandi was the first out of the pen and allowed five runs while recording just two outs, and after four innings the Caps were already up 12-1. Cristopher Castillo, the usual centerfielder, was summoned to pitch the sixth and allowed three runs. Turner Bishop pitched the seventh and allowed three runs. Ryan Lefner pitched the eighth inning and allowed a single run. 19 Caps runs came across against Legends pitching.
The bats for Menlo Park tried to make some noise late in the game as the Legends would add five runs in the final three innings. Patrick McColl had an RBI-groundout in the seventh inning, Philip Caulfield delivered a run-scoring double in the eighth, and Tyler Nelin drove in one on a bounce out in the eighth. Clayton Casey drove home the seventh and final run on a double in the ninth but the Legends would leave the bases loaded after filling them up with one out. All in all, it was a game that Menlo Park is glad ended and their off day could not be coming at a better time.
The Legends are off on Monday and will be back in action on Tuesday against the South Bay Legacy. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM for the road game, and as a note, it will not be broadcasted on the Legends Radio Network. A complete recap of the game can be found here at www.menloparklegends.com.
