Lackland Air Force Base, Texas –
A one-hit shutout by right-hander Jason Guerra helped the Lackland Warhawks Varsity Baseball Team record a close win last week.
Guerra struck out 18 and gave up only two walks as the Warhawks beat the Astros 2-0 through nine innings in the San Antonio Men's Senior Baseball League (Open Division) May 11 at Warhawk Field.
"(Guerra) knows how to change speeds and keep hitters off balance," said Davin Dukes, Warhawks coach. "He doesn't try to overpower anybody with anything."
The only hit off Guerra came during the fourth inning, when Astros first baseman Rhett Higgs banged an opposite-field single to right with the bases empty.
Most of the time, the Lackland defense stood motionless as Guerra frustrated their foes. Second baseman Chris O'Neill was the only Astros player besides Higgs to hit the ball out of the infield, and it turned out to be a routine fly ball to center fielder Keith Simon during the seventh.
Indeed, after Guerra retired one rival on an infield fly for the first out of the fourth inning, he proceeded to strike out eight-straight batters. A few batting helmets bit the dust as their disgusted owners tossed them aside near their dugout.
Yet, things were not quite as easy for the Warhawks batters against Astros right-hander John Lindquist, who took the loss after going seven innings.
Lackland got only two hits off Lindquist and just one hit off reliever Anthony Pacheco.
Against Lindquist, third baseman Miguel Jimenez beat out a slow infield roller during the fifth inning. Left fielder Greg Willett tagged a fastball for a standup double during the sixth.
"(Lindquist) stayed on the outside corner of the plate," Dukes recalled. "We (the Lackland right-handed hitters) haven't learned to hit the ball to the opposite field yet."
Against Pacheco, Willett produced a single during the eighth.
Lackland manufactured both of their runs on infield errors, one during the fourth inning and the other one during the fifth.
During the fourth, second baseman Dominic Ortega led off and struck out. However, he reached first base after the ball passed catcher Kenneth Richter at home plate. Ortega moved to second on a wild pitch by Lindquist.
Ortega ran to third after Willett grounded out. Bratton walked. While Dukes was at the plate, Lindquist attempted to pick off Bratton. While the wild throw from Lindquist bounded away from Higgs, Ortega scored to give the Warhawks a 1-0 lead.
During the fifth, Lackland extra hitter Richard McDonald reached first on an error by shortstop Daniel Fairborn. Jimenez followed with a lazy grounder that rolled past the mound. Fairborn charged forward and made a clean pickup, but there was no time to throw out Jimenez. Fairborn flipped the ball to Lindquist, and for a second or two, the play appeared to be finished.
However, while the Astros defenders ignored him, McDonald sprinted to second base and kept on sprinting to third. As Lindquist hurried to stop McDonald at third, he threw the ball into foul territory, and McDonald ran home to give the Warhawks a 2-0 lead that stood up the rest of the game.
Although Guerra handcuffed the Astros most of the time, he got off to a weird start.
On the first pitch of the game, Astros center fielder Joe Biggs bunted the ball directly to Guerra, who ran off the mound and grabbed the ball without trouble. Guerra appeared to have Biggs out by several feet as he stood up to throw the ball to Dukes at first base. But the throw from Guerra sailed high over Dukes.
Many pitchers have trouble fielding bunts, Dukes said, because they have to alter their throwing motion as they switch aim from the catcher's mitt to the first baseman's glove.
"The ball was still going over my head by the time it reached me," Dukes recalled.
Biggs ran to second base on the bad throw, and moments later, he stole third base.
Guerra settled down after his blunder, and he struck out Pacheco (who started the game in left field) and Richter. After a Guerra inside pitch barely hit Higgs, Warhawks catcher Andrew Taylor threw out Higgs when the Astros first baseman tried to steal second.
After the hit by Higgs in the fourth inning, the Astros did not put another runner on base until the seventh, when Richter reached first on an error. Richter was retired at second after Higgs hit into a fielder's choice.