The San Quentin baseball team welcomed the SF Dealers onto the Field of Dreams for what turned out to be a seven inning barnburner, leading to a 16-13 SQ Giants victory.
Having recently lost to the Mission 5-3 and the Barons 13-0 in their last two outings, the SQ Giants showed up to the Lower Yard on May 24 with a hunger to win.
“I love tough games like this,” said SQ Giant fielder Kameron “Kam” Hamilton. “When the pressure is on, it keeps everybody locked in.”
The determination was palpable as resident players Aaron “June” Miles, Eli Guerra, Ricky Dias, and Patrick Poteat all hit RBI’s to rally for seven runs in the first inning, signaling a possible blowout.
Undeterred by the attack, the Dealers showed their mettle in the second inning when Jack McKeon stole home, impressing the fans and firing up his team.
“I watched the pitchers rhythm, waited for him to get set, and as soon as he looked away I went for it,” McKeon said.
After both teams changed pitchers, the score stayed the same in the third inning before McKeon shined again by hitting an RBI double in the top of the fourth that closed the gap to 7-4.
The SQ Giants returned friendly fire in the bottom of the fourth inning. Carrington Russelle hit a double, Jarrod “Deuce” Williams walked and stole second base, and Anthony “T-Tone” Denard hit an RBI single to advance the score to 9-4.
Dealers third baseman Dan “McGoo” McGeehan started the fifth inning with an RBI, earning another two runs. Then, in this epic battle of wills between the two rival teams, left-hander Will Konevich crushed a homerun deep over the right field fence, bringing the score to a dangerously close 9-8.
McGeehan appreciated the opportunity to play on the Field of Dreams, sharing that it meant a lot to the Dealers to receive such a warm welcome coming down the hill. “We came here today focused and ready to leave it all out on the field,” McGeehan said. “To hear the sounds of the game echo off these walls is something special.”
Next up for the Dealers was McKeon again, who hit a line drive so hard and loud off the center field scoreboard that it silenced the entire yard. SQ Giants centerfielder Hamilton quickly fielded the ball and threw a dagger to third, nailing the runner in his path and ending the inning at 9-8.
“I didn’t think he was going to go for it, but he was hungry,” said Hamilton. “When I saw him rounding second I just threw it as hard as I could, and got him.”
Before ending the fifth inning, the SQ Giants added three more runs to extend their lead to 12-8. Both teams traded runs in the sixth inning to raise the score to 13-9.
In the top of the seventh, Dealers’ centerfielder Jac Derner hit a homerun over the right field fence, bumping the score 13-10.
The SQ Giants allowed two more on base before the Dealers’ Jack McKeon launched the longest ball of the day over the centerfield fence, tying the game to a heart-stopping 13-13.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, SQ Giant Alonzo Delgado hit a pop-fly that dropped into the left field gap before Russelle hit one deep into center for a double. Then J. Williams walked, loading the bases. Next up was Miles, who hit a sacrifice fly to take the lead before Victor Picazo, the last batter of the day, hit in two runners, ending the game 16-13.
Having played baseball on the Field of Dreams seven times before, SF Dealers Ricky Rein said that every time he comes to the “Q,” it feels like the first. “I can feel the camaraderie, the spirit, and the challenges of the game,” Rein said. “These guys are so good, we really have to play up to their level when we come here.”