VISALIA, CA-Los Toros starting pitcher, Matt Mercer , completed six innings of shutout baseball to lead los Toros to a 7-2 victory over los Cucuys. Mercer gave up only two hits and two walks while striking out eight. Those eight strikeouts tied his career high in a game. Los Toros
VISALIA, CA-Los Toros starting pitcher, Matt Mercer , completed six innings of shutout baseball to lead los Toros to a 7-2 victory over los Cucuys. Mercer gave up only two hits and two walks while striking out eight. Those eight strikeouts tied his career high in a game.
Los Toros scored first in the second inning off an RBI single by Luis Alejandro Basabe that scored Jake McCarthy . McCarthy scored Visalia's second run of the game in the fourth inning when Yoel Yanqui tripled to right centerfield. Basabe earned his second RBI of the night when he grounded out to first base, scoring Yanqui. The final four Toros runs were scored in the fifth inning. Jose Caballero scored off a wild pitch by relief pitcher Kyle Bradish . Renae Martinez drove in the final three runs with a 3-run homerun over the left field wall.
The seven run lead was more than enough for Visalia's pitching staff. Justin Vernia pitched the final three innings of the game. He gave up two runs, none of them earned, off two hits. Those runs were scored by Leonardo Rivas and Ryan Scott when Basabe committed a throwing error.
Visalia becomes the first team in the California League to win 20 games this season with a 20-9 record. Los Toros host los Cucuys tomorrow night for game two of a three-game series. First pitch is at 7pm and expected starters are Toros' Josh Green and Cucuys' Andrew Wentz.
