SAN ANTONIO- Ryan DiMascio and Rob Perucki continued to shine as hitters as Texas Winter League teams played their third game of the season on Saturday.

 

TEJANOS 17 WRANGLERS 4

 

Prior to Saturday’s game Tejanos’ manager Carlos Lezcano wanted to know the background of Ryan DiMascio.

 

After all, DiMascio has collected two hits in every game he’s played this TWL season.

 

But in the Tejanos’ lopsided 17-4 victory against the Wranglers, perhaps this day was the most impressive of all batting lines this season.

 

In the first inning, DiMascio’s single to left off TWL veteran soft-tosser Misop Baynun gave the Tejanos (1-2) a 7-0 lead, but it was his next plate appearance that was far more impressive.

 

For reliever Brandon Cowan is a much harder thrower than the 46-year-old Baynun. And when lefty Cowan replaced Baynun, DiMascio greeted the lefty with a bases-loaded triple to deep centerfield to show he could adjust to different pitchers’ velocities from plate appearance to plate appearance.

 

It also showed he had great patience, because Baynun simply didn’t give opposing batters much to hit. After throwing his first two pitches for strikes he then struck leadoff batter Daiki Miyazaki with a pitch and from there things just got worse.

 

Baynun allowed 10 runs in the first inning, which was highlighted by ninth place hitter Cesar Pintor’s sharp 3-run double to left field to make the score 6-0.

 

After his defense committed two errors in the top of the second Baynun then walked the next three hitters. His final totals had him allow 15 runs, 13 earned, in one inning, giving up five hits and nine walks.

 

“I think the biggest problem was that I didn’t stick to my best pitches,” said Baynun (0-1). “I couldn’t get the fast ball over the plate. Everyone screams for it when it is your best strike pitch. For me, it is more of my knuckleball and curve.”

 

The Tejanos had a 16-0 lead after two innings. In addition to DiMascio, who finished 2 for 4 with three runs and four RBIs, Warlin Garcia had three hits and drove in four runs while scoring another while Pintor had two doubles and four RBIs.

 

Jamie Perez (1-0) earned the victory for the Tejanos by pitching three innings, allowing two hits and three runs, one earned while walking one and fanning three.

 

For the Wranglers (1-1-1), Cowan pitched two innings and allowed two hits, one run, one walk, and struck out two batters. Matt Clark made his first pitching appearance of the season with a two inning performance that included retiring the side in order in the fourth inning. He walked one batter and gave up one hit and one run.

 

Jack Morrow hit a long double in the second inning and scored when he tagged up on Jake Taylor’s long fly ball to center field to go to third and came home on a wild pitch.

 

PERICOS de PUEBLA 14 - APACHES 6

 

If the Texas Winter League had royalty, Justin Klipp would certainly have his own crown.

 

Klipp who pitched for Cal State-Fullerton’s 2007 team that made the College World Series, used the TWL to springboard a professional career in the American Association by winning the TWL Title Game two years ago.

 

Since then, he’s often made a spot start in TWL games to help save pitching staffs and give batters challenging competition.

 

Such was the case Saturday afternoon at Wolff Stadium when in Pericos de Puebla’s 14-6 victory against the Apaches.

 

Klipp pitched the first three innings for the Apaches, striking out three and giving up two hits, walks, and runs.

 

It was a quality performance with the second run he allowed coming only when Thomas Shull stole home on the back end of a double steal in the second inning. He left with a 4-2 lead, giving the Apaches their first leads of the young season.

 

But on this day, Klipp’s place on the throne went to left-hander Rene Solis, who went six innings, the longest outing of any TWL pitcher this year, while giving up four runs on six hits, a walk, and striking out six.

 

“[Chris] Paterson wanted to have him go as far he could,” said Simon Walters, who is managing the Parrots this weekend in place of Paterson. “With a seven inning game you want to extend him to show his worth. His 10 pitch fifth gave him a chance to go one more inning.

 

“His [Solis] change up was good but his fast ball was up a bit.”

 

After surrendering RBI doubles to Tyler Latham and Kinnosuke Kamiya in the second inning, Solis (1-0) was able to settle down and seemed to get stronger as the game went on.

 

Oh, sure there was an unusual play in the fourth that put the Parrots behind 4-2. With  the Apaches’ Nate Lewellyn on third base and Tyler Latham at second following their own hits, Jonathan Grishman lofted a Texas League single to right that scored Lewellyn.

 

But Lewellyn had to hold at third to see if the ball was caught. When it wasn’t, his late start home drew a throw to the plate from right fielder Matt Garza. That inspired Grishman to try for second, and Thomas Shull threw to second in an attempt to retire him.

 

That failed, and with Shull throwing the ball to second base, Latham was able to score from third.

 

But with Solis shutting out the Apaches during the fifth and sixth innings, he allowed them to be able to come back against TWL newcomer David Blount.

 

For the most part Blount (0-1) pitched well. He showed a curve ball with a 12-6 break and changed speeds effectively. But he was often let down by his own teammates.

 

Case in point the bottom of the fourth, where he struck out four hitters. But second baseman Julius Gaines misplayed R.J. Perucki’s grounder for an error and, after stealing second, he was albe to score when Latham, his catcher, couldn’t catch the third strike on what would have been an inning ending punch out of Undre Smith. Latham’s throw to first was wild, and Perucki was able to score with ease to make the score 4-3.

 

Then, after retiring the first two batters of the fifth, he walked Jason Merjano and gave up and infield single to Andrew Mulado, only to have centerfielder Samuel Gonzalez drop a fly ball off the bat of Perucki. Both runners on base scored, and the Parrots had the 5-4 lead they never relinquished.

 

Blount tired in the sixth, giving up a run scoring single to Will Chapman and a slow rolling single to Mulado that never left the infield but was able to net two runs as it was hit up the middle and Chapman ran on contact from second with two out.

 

Apaches manager then removed Blount and brought in Gonzalez to pitch from centerfield, but the diminutive lefty was no better.

 

Perucki, whom Walters believes could potentially play in the Frontier League this season,  greeted Gonzalez by hitting a three run homer to left center, and Shull narrowly missed a homer on a controversial call from base umpire Brandon Garrettson, who ruled the hit had come off the very top of the left field wall rather than over it.

 

In all five straight batters reached safely off Gonzalez, including an RBI single to left from Smith and a 2-run double from David Peterson, who didn’t start but wound up with more hits in this game (2) than he had had in 29 previous lifetime at bats (1). After the 9-run inning Pericos de Puebla had a 14-4 lead.

 

The Apaches scored two runs in the top of the seventh on four straight singles off Sho Nagashima, with Kori Melo and Mario Apolinar collecting the first two and scoring and Jacob Fabry and Pete Martinez collecting the final two and driving them in.

 

Blount finished with a line of 2 2/3 innings, five hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. He allowed eight runs, but only one was earned.

 

The Apaches committed six errors in the game.

 

With the victory the Parrots (2-1) move into a second place tie while the Apaches fell to 0-3.

 

“Our first two pitchers, [Klipp and Blount], came in and pitched well, but we were unable to finish it for them,” said Lewellyn.

 

ALAMOS 11 - CAPITALS 1

 

The Alamos moved into first place with a convincing victory against the previously undefeated Capitals (2-1).

 

Bobby Orozco (1-0) pitched the first complete game of the TWL season by scattering three hits in five innings while allowing only one unearned run. The former Pecos Leaguer struck out three and walked only one.

 

Meanwhile Justin Girton’s (0-1) control problems continued as he walked the first four batters he faced and eight batters in two innings.

 

Rob Perrin continued his hot hitting by collecting two hits for the Alamos (2-0-1).