The Giants, behind great pitching and defense all day, swept their way into the 45 Division semifinals with a 4-0 win over the Blue Jays and a 12-0 win over the Reds on a picture-perfect day for baseball at New Scotland Town Park.
The Giants gave up just two hits all day, but Steve Lounello was the story in the nightcap. He tossed a no-hitter and struck out 8 in helping the Giants avenge two 3-2 losses to the Reds during the regular season. Five Reds players reached base, three on walks and two on obvious infield errors. The Giants erased one of those on a 6-4-3 DP to end the 4th inning. The Reds/Senators have had the Giants number for two years now. Last year, Bob Bolt no-hit the Reds, but the Giants still lost, 1-0.
The Giants staked Lounello to a 1-0 lead in the first on heads-up base-running by Bob Bolt, who led off with a single. Bolt reached third on a walk and an error before Doug Reisinger lofted a pop-up back of first where Reds first-baseman Will Ferguson peddled back, made the catch, but slipped and fell. Bolt tagged and scored as Ferguson tried to flip to 2nd-baseman Dave Van Wormer for a relay. Unfortunately, Van Wormer, one of the Reds' top hitters, popped a calf muscle on the play and was forced to leave the game.
The Giants then broke it open with 3 in the 3rd and 4 in the 4th. The big hit was Ron Smaka's 2-run single with one out and the bases loaded to make it 3-0. After a walk to Paul Scutieri, Reisinger singled Smaka to third. A balk forced in Smaka.
In the 4th, Bill Smith lead off with a sharp single to right, his first of two hits on the day. Bolt walked and Tony Nardacci singled to load the bases before Scutieri ripped a double to left-center to score two. Smaka and Reisinger followed with RBI singles to make it 8-0.
The Giants added 2 more in the 5th in singles by Mike Kane and Smith before Mike Labanowski lined a shot to right-center to score two runs. Lounello then capped the scoring in the top of the 6th with a 2-run single. It was the second of two straight games for the Reds on a picture-perfect day at New Scotland Town Park.
In the 8:30 a.m. opener, which took a mere 1 1/2 hours to complete, the Blue Jays proved why they had won 8 straight this year. John Weber, behind a stellar defense, kept the Giants in check most of the morning, scattering 8 hits. But Bolt and Kane met the challenge - and then some. The two combined on a 2-hitter and Nardacci had the big blow for the Giants with a 2-run single in the 3rd. But while Weber kept it that way till the 6th, Bolt was in trouble in just one inning when the Jays loaded the bases on 2 walks and an error in the 2nd. But Bolt enduced a grounder to Nardacci at 2nd to end the threat. The Jays never got more than one base runner in an inning the rest of the way.
The Giants then iced it in the 6th, pushing across two more runs on RBI singles by Smaka and Lounello.
Bolt allowed only a 4th-inning single to Paul Post and Kane a 7th-inning single to Pat Alston.
The victories vaulted the Giants into the semifinal round with the Marlins and Yankees set for the weekend of Oct. 1-2. The 4th team will be determined next Sunday at New Scotland.
