ONTARIO, Calif. — On Friday night, the Tower Buzzers looked to take a commanding lead in the series. They had a six-run lead after three innings against the second-place Giants. Then, things just fell apart. San Jose erupted for seven runs in the top of the seventh and stormed back to beat Ontario, 12-7.
That loss dropped the Buzzers to 16-20 on the year. The Giants moved to 21-16 and tightened their grip near the top of the CAL North.
For six innings, Ontario had everything going their way. They jumped all over Giants starter Nick Margevicius right out of the gate. Three runs in the first, thanks to RBI knocks from Landyn Vidourek and Chase Harlan. Then, in the second, Easton Shelton blasted his sixth homer of the year, and right after him, 2024 1st rounder Kellon Lindsey smoked his first of the season.
Lindsey just kept hitting, finishing 2-for-5 with a double and that homer, crossing the plate three times. Now his average sits at .444, and his OPS at 1.555 in nine at-bats. Harlan chipped in too, going 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, and an RBI.
By the end of the third, Ontario was up 6-1, and Margevicius was done after just three innings, giving up seven hits, six runs, and 51 pitches.
On the mound for Ontario, Hyun-Seok Jang gave the team what they needed. Five innings, three runs, six strikeouts, always working around base runners but mostly keeping the Giants quiet. Ontario’s lead felt pretty safe heading into the middle innings.
But things flipped as soon as Giants reliever Bradyon Risley came in. Five innings, only one hit, three strikeouts. He completely shut things down and gave the Giants enough time to wake up with the bats. Meanwhile, San Jose was slowly chipping away, scoring a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
Then everything turned in the seventh inning, Ontario turned to Domingo Geronimo out of the bullpen, and it all unraveled fast. Four straight hits that tied the game, then gave the Giants the lead. Suddenly, San Jose put up a seven-spot, battering their way from down six runs to up six. Eleven Giants came to the plate in that rally.
Geronimo only got one out and gave up five earned runs. Seasmus Barrett came in to stop the bleeding, but couldn’t escape without giving up two more.
San Jose’s lineup just refused to quit. Cam Maldonado had a big game, three hits, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Broedy Poppell also had two hits and two RBIs. The Giants went 8-for-18 with runners in scoring position, and Maldonado and Jatczak kept coming through with clutch, two-out RBIs.
The Buzzers didn’t go quietly, racking up 11 hits. Shelton went 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI, O’Neal went deep in the ninth, and Vargas drove in two. The defense turned two double plays, and a few fielders made some solid plays, but that nightmarish seventh put the game out of commission.
These two clubs continue to battle in a series that has favored pitchers. However, after combining for 25 hits yesterday, the Tower Buzzers' bullpen hopes to revert to its previous performance in the first three games.
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Media Contacts:
Adam Serrano
Regional Marketing Director
Diamond Baseball Holdings
Jeff Woolson
Play-by-Play Broadcaster