24 teams vie for title at 25th Garlic Festival Softball
Tournament.
It was all good news until the championship game for Gilroy’s Bad News squad at this past weekend’s 25th annual Garlic Festival Men’s E Softball Tournament.
Bad News powered to seven victories over the weekend before dropping a 15-13 decision to champion Hustlers in the finals at Christmas Hill Park on Sunday.
The finals capped 32 hours of softball that spanned two days.
The Hustlers, who beat the Players 9-6 in the semifinals to reach the championship game, went a flawless 5-0, staying in the winner’s bracket throughout the tournament.
Manager Pete Quintanar’s Bad News opened its nine-game effort in the double-elimination tournament with a 17-13 edging of Wide Open on Saturday morning. Ryan Evanger homered in a 5-for-5 showing.
Bad News continued in the winner’s bracket of the 24-team field with a 12-8 nod over Self Made, the eventual fifth-place finisher. Evanger continued his hot batting with a grand slam in a 4-for-4 effort.
Bad News dropped into the loser’s bracket Saturday evening with a 5-3 setback to Team FUPA, who took fourth place in the tournament. Bad News completed Saturday action with a 19-8 victory over Hit Me, a team based in Barstow. Evanger and Kevin Grove hit homers in a seven-run seventh.
Donny Gooding hit a home run and two triples to back up Evanger’s 4-for-4 morning as Bad News claimed an 18-8 decision over Freedom Meat Locker of Watsonville on Sunday.
Bad News needed extra-innings heroics to keep its tournament run in tact in its second game of the final day of competition.
The runners up stayed afloat with an 8-7 win over Los Cochinos in 10 innings by scoring twice in the bottom of the 10th. Los Cochinos took home a fifth-place award.
Abel Jaquez homered to lead Bad News by Team FUPA 10-6, avenging the loss to FUPA earlier in the tournament, then sent the Players home in third place with a 12-1 conquest.
The Players opened the tournament with four consecutive wins to reach the semifinals.
The Crackerjacks and Freedom Meat Locker each netted a seventh-place award.
Last week’s championship action
Taqueria Del Sol captured the Men’s CC Softball League title Thursday with a 16-7 victory over Lugo Motors at Las Animas Park.
Lugo Motors grabbed a 5-2 lead in the top of the second inning with a four-run rally that featured a two-run home run from Adam Mahoney and two-run single from Joe Woods.
Taqueria Del Sol responded with a three-run second highlighted by a two-run double by Pete Del Real.
AJ Martinez singled in both the fifth and sixth innings and Taqueria Del Sol built a 16-7 lead.
Willis Construction rallied past Fun Party Supply 9-7 Friday to take the Men’s D Series 2-1 at Las Animas.
Henry Calderon drove in two runs as Fun Party Supply built a 5-4 lead in the sixth. Miguel Robles stroked a three-run home run in a five-run sixth for Willis.
Mangia La Pizza won two Men’s E playoff games to take the season title over Walton & Sons Masonry.
Mangia La Pizza evened the series at 1-1 Thursday with a 6-4 nod over Walton & Sons in eight innings. Marco Lopez doubled home one run and scored on an error in the Mangia eighth. Geoff Grave went 3-for-4 for the losers.
Danny Gonzales hit a home run and two singles to lead Mangia La Pizza to a 10-5 win Friday in the finale. Albert Vegas went 3-for-3 for Walton & Sons.
VFW Bingo took the second-place honors in the Men’s EE League with a 15-8 victory over Claddagh Brew Crew Thursday at Las Animas Park. Julio Zavala went 4-for-5 for the winners. Kevin Belanger went 4-for-4 for Claddagh.
