Gold Sox win 13th straight to tie team record
Tyler Deetjen did the unthinkable Thursday — he walked a batter. That simply never happens. A base on balls? Not in the last 48 innings for the Marysville Gold Sox starting pitcher.
Entering Thursday, he'd only given up one all season. He throws junk for strikes, and gets outs. That's how he operates: No free passes.
His counterparts didn't share that trait. The Nor-Cal Longhorns couldn't keep Marysville off base in a 16-2 victory at Appeal-Democrat Park.
Twelve hits and 11 walks was the line for the Gold Sox, who tied their franchise record for consecutive wins with the victory. It was a literal stroll to 13 straight for a team that couldn't be more relaxed as the summer winds down.
"There's no trying to break a record or anything," said second baseman Casey Coy, who took three walks in addition to hitting a bases-clearing double. "There's really no pressure at this point."
Sure, there's the whole McCullough Division title race, but the Sox (32-8-1) don't seem overly worried about their fate in the Horizon Air Summer Series. They entered the day a game up on the Seattle Studs, and played with the relaxed, yet aggressive approach that's defined this team.
They'll steal bases, but take pitches to reach. And when the moment's right, they'll swing. It's why they entered the game hitting .294, and it's why Deetjen and Coy both said there was no worry when the Longhorns took a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
With two outs, Deetjen gave up three straight hits starting with the nine hitter. No problem, Marysville answered with two in the bottom of the frame. Then the Sox added six runs on four hits and three walks in the next inning to key the beginning of the rout.
"It just makes the game more comfortable," said Deetjen of the offense, which provided him the cushion to pitch seven innings. His walk came in the fifth, and he directly attributes it to the fact he didn't have to worry about the repercussions of giving up a free base — not with six runs to play with.
Mark Shannon, who struck out during his first two at-bats, finished with a flurry. He went 2 for 4 with a triple, double, four RBIs and two walks. Coy was 1 for 2 after his three-RBI double in the seventh. Mitch Wilhite keyed the first run of the game with a single from the eight spot and finished 3 for 4 with four runs.
Not surprisingly, it satisfied Manager Jack Johnson and his "how good can you be?" mantra he's imposed upon his players. With seven games left in 2011, that question will remain the standard on how this team should approach games, he said.
This game could serve as a blueprint for an answer. Marysville made no fielding errors, Kenton Bevacqua allowed just one hit in two innings of relief and the Sox reached base 24 times (Brent Ohrman was hit by a pitch).
