GILROY—The 30th Men’s E Garlic Festival Softball Tournament completed action Sunday at Christmas Hill Park when PJ’s Angels upended Breathe for Caley 14-7 to earn the title of the two-day, double-elimination event.
A field of 18 teams from Gilroy, Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Hollister, Morgan Hill and Los Banos played 35 games before the Angels, champion in 2013, captured the crown.
PJ’s took advantage of a run of two victories in the Saturday portion of the tournament to reach the Sunday semifinals.
Stevie Martinez collected three hits as the Angels survived the op-ener, 11-6 over BFC. Tucker Vasquez and Ben Vasquez hit Caley home runs.
The Angels followed with a 12-10 squeaker over Just 2 Party keyed by a two-run triple from Abraham Espinosa. Sergio Sanchez homered and singled for the Just 2 Party squad.
The Angels rushed back from an 8-0 deficit in the second inning of the Sunday morning game against Johnson Lumber, exiting with a 12-8 decision. Ray Rojas Jr. managed three hits for the winners. Rion Alnas hit a three-run home run for Johnson Lumber.
The Angels advanced to the winner’s bracket showdown with FUPA, also owning a 3-0 mark. FUPA topped Garlic World 17-7, Battle Brothers 13-8, concluding Sunday morning with a 12-11 win in eight innings over the Expos.
Pete Del Real hit a three-run home run to guide the Angels past FUPA 13-9. Jake Bouslog notched with three hits for the FUPA squad.
The Angels completed the tournament with two games opposite Breathe for Caley. The Angels fell 17-16 in the first showdown as Breathe for Caley earned its eighth straight win—six of which were accomplished on Sunday. Omar Silveira’s one-out RBI capped a two-run rally for Caley in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Angels regrouped for the 14-7 clincher, as Del Real, Danny Rubalcava and Tomas Carrillo each went 4 for 4. Ryan Evanger provided three hits, scored three runs and drove in two for the losers.
FUPA earned the third-place awards, with the Expos going 3-2 to take fourth place. Tabbed for fifth-place trophies were the Borrachos and Johnson Lumber. Seventh-place recognition went to J-2-P and Santa Cruz Bail Bonds.
