2015 Father/Son Central

So Cal Quakes 5, San Antonio Texans 2

‘Quakes Topple First and Second Seeds in Playoffs to Advance’

By Rodney Johnson, special to MSBL

November 1, 2015, Tempe Diablo Stadium – Father and son competitions are about much more than baseball. So Cal Quakes manager John Love explained; “I just love being with the boys. This is a fellowship, it’s not just about the game.” The Quakes take togetherness an extra step for the tournament. “We rent a house. There are 14 of us in the house and we’re just together as family,” said Love.

On the field, Franc Annuziato and Manny Salinas each had two hits to lead the Quakes to a 5-2 win. Scott Hildenbrandt pitched the first four innings giving up just one run. Frankie Patino went the next four to earn the win. Mike Annunziato pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save. The oldest player on the team is 62 and the youngest is 16.

The Quakes had to go through the first and second seed to advance to the title game. They beat the Arkansas Diamonds, 8-6 and the Milwaukee Rock 12-5 in the playoffs. “It was a complete team effort to rally and get to this point after we had gotten off to a rocky start,” said Love. The Quakes were 2-2 in pool play.

The Texans are comprised of all San Antonio residents. “These kids grew up together playing ball and the dads coached them,” explained manger Randy Jackson. The oldest player on the team is pitcher Joe Sanson, 56 and the youngest is outfielder Aison Lewis, 25. Sanson pitched eight innings in pool play and then threw in both playoff games before starting the championship game. “We set out with plans to build a bigger roster, but life took over and we ended up coming here with 14 players,” said Jackson.

After finishing 3-1 in pool play, the Texans defeated the Motor City Orioles 5-4 and the Rhode Island Yankees 9-4 to advance.

The Quakes scored twice in the second inning and never trailed. “The credit goes to them,” conceded Jackson. “They are a good squad over there. We made a couple of errors early that cost us and we didn’t put the ball in play when we needed to.” Clint Sansom, Leo Munoz, Alex Mann and Aison Lewis each stoked a pair of hits for the Texans in a losing cause.

“I’ve been in the game all of my life,” said Love. “But seeing the boys come in here that have never been before, it is like taking your kids to Disneyland for the first time. You can’t really explain it to people who don’t come here. It is a very special tournament and I’m just so thankful that they put something like this together.”

Team                                1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9           R     H     E

So Cal Quakes                0     0     2     1     0     1     0     0     1             5     10   1

San Antonio Texans       0     0     1     0     0     0     0     0     1             2     11   4

S. Hildenbrandt, F. Patino (5), M. Annunziato (9) and M. Hildenbrandt, J. Sansom, A. Mann (5), Ri. Jackson (8) and A. Mann, L. Mann (5),

WP:F. Patino   LP: J. Sansom   SV: M. Annunziato

HR: None

3B:None

2B: Salinas (SC); C. Sansom.

Leading Hitters: Quakes- F. Annunziato 2×4, R, RBI; Salinas 2×4, R, RBI; John Love 1×2, 2 RBI. Texans- C. Sansom 2×3, RBI; L. Munoz 2×4; A. Mann 2×4; A. Lewis 2×2.

SAC: J. Sansom (SA); G. Ables (SA)

SF: John Love 2 (SC); J. Sansom (SA)

SB:F. Annunziato (SC); Re. Jackson (SA)

LOB: Quakes 10; Texans 8

Time of Game: 2:31