The San Francisco Giants top left-handed pitching Garrett Williams dazzled in his Double-A debut, tossing five innings in a 5-2 Richmond Flying Squirrels win over the Yard Goats (0-5) on Monday.
Williams struck out five and did not walk a batter to earn the victory. Richmond (3-2) collected a season-high nine hits and received multi-hit games from Ryan Howard, Dylan Davis and Ali Castillo.
Hartford jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Williams and the Squirrels in the first inning. Garret Hampson tripled to right field to open the inning and scored on a groundout. Williams pretty much cruised after that leadoff triple in the first. The lefty struck out Sam Hilliard to end the first inning and both Bobby Wernes and Ryan Metzler to end the second. The southpaw retired 12 consecutive batters from the first to the fifth inning.
Richmond pushed across a pair of runs in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Facing starter Parker French, Luigi Rodriguez got things going with a base hit to right field and advanced to second on a balk. After Dylan Davis struck out, Ali Castillo lined a base hit into right to go up on Hartford.
French (0-1) lasted six innings in the defeat. The righty allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits. The Squirrels plated the unearned run in the third inning without the benefit of a hit. Matt Lipka reached on an error and stole second base. Howard then grounded him to third and Aramis Garica lifted a sacrifice fly for e 3-1 lead.
Williams had his stretch of 12 consecutive batters broken up on an infield single to start the fifth. After a stolen base and groundout, Ryan Metzler delivered a sacrifice fly of his own to trim the Richmond lead, 3-2. Williams finished the inning and closed his outing with five frames and 65 pitches.
The Squirrels added two more run in the seventh, using an RBIK triple from Ali Castillo and a sacrifice fly from reliver Mike Connolly. Connolly carried the game for three scoreless innings to relieve Williams. He struck out four and did not allow a run in his second outing of the year.
Caleb Simpson struck out the side in the ninth for the save. Simpson worked around a leadoff base hit and two out walk, punching out Chris Rabago with the tying run at the plate.
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