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CLAREMONT, CA - The inaugural Best of the West Division playoffs have begun, and the Pirates are 1-0 in the postseason thanks to some stellar pitching and bats as hot as the Tuesday afternoon sun. The 9-2 win over the Long Beach Legends means the Pirates can punch their ticket to the championship series on Wednesday.
Starting pitcher Trevor Garcia carried the team deep into the game, throwing a 7-inning quality start in which he allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out eight Legends batters. Aren Alvarez entered in the eighth inning to shut the door, allowing no runs on two hits and adding another three Ks.
The Pirates' offense needed all of three pitches to take the lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Grant Schoen led off with a first-pitch single, and he came home when Kyle Soberano smoked an 0-1 pitch for an RBI double. Kyle then made the Legends pay for dropping Jacob Ortega's fly ball to short center field, scoring unearned on the fielding error.
The Legends would tie the game up at 2-2 with a home run in the top of the fourth, but the Pirates answered those runs in the bottom of the frame. Jacob Ortega opened up with a first-pitch double, scoring on Ian McIntyre's RBI double on an eight-pitch at bat. McIntyre then touched the plate on Dante Zamudio's first of two RBI singles. Schoen would score again in the fifth, scoring on a wild pitch after reaching first base on an error, and Jason Ajamian scored in the sixth on Zamudio's second hit. Finally, with Bradley Chesterton aboard with a single and Soberano reaching on a fielder's choice, Darren Taylor went deep to left field with a three-run home run to add some insurance runs and make it a 9-2 game. It was his seventh home run of the summer.
The Pirates will play against the Inland Valley Pirates on Wednesday in the winners bracket matchup. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM at Charter Oak High School in San Dimas.