Giants shoot down Astros for Fallon Babe Ruth title

For the second year in a row, the Giants Babe Ruth baseball team won both the regular season and tournament titles.

The Giants broke open a close game against the surprising Astros in the fifth inning en route to a 12-2 win.

A six-inning fifth inning put the game away for the Giants in a game called because of the 10-run rule. With one out and a runner on, Jack Swisher singled home the inning’s first run. Will Bliss added an RBI single, but the big blow occurred when first baseman Kendall Johnson laced a two-run double into the gap. Alex Vest’s RBI single scored the Giants final run, which gave the home team a 10-run advantage.

The Astros, which finished the regular season in third place, advanced to the championship game with a hard fought 7-4 victory against the second-place A’s.

The Astros began their game against the Giants with two runs in the first inning. Colton Moretto, who led off the top of the first inning with a single, scored, and Wyatt Getto’s base hit scored the second run.

Pitcher Ky Christensen tamed the Giants in the first inning, but he surrendered two runs in the second inning as the Giants tied the game.

With two outs the Giants’ John Gasperoni and Blake Malkovich singled , and Swisher’s double cleared the bases.

Vest knocked in a run in the third inning to give the Giants their first lead in the game.

In the fourth inning, the Giants added three more runs. Pitcher Cade Monardo and Johnson each had run-producing singles.

After the first inning, Monardo settled down and pitched four scoreless inning and allowed only five hits.

Monardo had to work out of two jams, though.

He gave up a lead-off double to Christensen in the fourth inning, but he worked out of the jam. In the fifth inning, T.J. Fagg led off with a double, but Monardo retired the next three batters on a ground out and two strikeouts.

While the Giants had command of the championship game, the league champs struggled in the quarterfinals, having to rally for a 10-9 win against the Phillies.

A two-run seventh inning gave the Giants the win over the scrappy visitors.