San Jose - The San Jose Giants scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to overcome a Bakersfield lead before exploding for eight runs in the eighth to pick-up a 12-3 victory over the Blaze in the deciding fifth game of the North Division Series on Wednesday evening at Municipal Stadium.  Johnny Monell’s sacrifice fly in the seventh put the Giants ahead for the first time in the contest while San Jose then sent 13 hitters to the plate the following inning to break the game open.  The victory gives the Giants a three-games-to-two win in the best-of-five series.
 
San Jose will next play the High Desert Mavericks, the South Division champions, in the best-of-five California League Championship Series.  Game One is scheduled for Thursday night at High Desert with first pitch set for 7:05 PM.
 
The Giants trailed by a 3-1 margin entering the bottom of the seventh inning before Roger Kieschnick led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch thrown by Blaze starter Richard Bleier.  After Josh Mazzola struck out, Conor Gillaspie singled up the middle to plate Kieschnick bringing San Jose to within 3-2.  Justin Miller was then summoned from the bullpen and he promptly uncorked a wild pitch advancing Gillaspie to second base.  Brian Bocock drew a walk to put runners on first and second before two more Miller wild pitches allowed Gillaspie to come home with the tying run.  Monell then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Bocock for a 4-3 San Jose lead.
 
Bakersfield threatened in the top of the eighth as Daniel Turpen was brought into pitch and he allowed a leadoff double to center field off the bat of David Paisano.  Matthew Lawson advanced Paisano, the potential tying run, to third with a sacrifice bunt, but Turpen then induced Davis Stoneburner to ground out weakly to shortstop as the runner held at third base.  Joey Butler was up next and he grounded out to Gillaspie at third on the first pitch of the at-bat to keep the Giants ahead.
 
San Jose then broke out in the bottom of the eighth for their second eight-run inning of the series.  Facing new pitcher Adalberto Flores, Tyler Graham drew a leadoff walk before stealing both second and third base.  Francisco Peguero followed by drawing a walk and then Thomas Neal reached on an infield single to first loading the bases.  A Flores wild pitch scored Graham to make it 5-3 before Kieschnick was intentionally walked to again load the bases.  Mazzola brought home the second run of the frame with a sacrifice fly to deep center field while another intentional walk, this time with Gillaspie at the plate, once more loaded the bases.  Bocock was up next against new pitcher Tyler Tufts and the Giants shortstop belted a pitch off the fence in left center for a double scoring both Neal and Kieschnick for an 8-3 advantage.
 
Tufts then uncorked another run-scoring wild pith as Gillaspie came home to extend the lead to 9-3.  Two more walks to Monell and Noonan reloaded the bases before Graham hit a slow ground ball to shortstop that was mishandled by Stoneburner for an error as Bocock scored.  Back-to-back RBI singles from the next two hitters, Peguero and Neal, capped the eighth-inning scoring as San Jose moved out in front by a 12-3 margin.
 
Turpen (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO) worked a perfect top of the ninth inning to seal the victory and earn his first save of the postseason.
 
David Mixon started on the mound for the Giants and tossed six innings with three runs (all earned) on four hits allowed.  The right-hander struck out six and walked only one.  
 
Mixon began his outing by retiring seven consecutive Blaze hitters before issuing a 10-pitch walk to Jacob Kaase with one out in the top of the third.  Paisano followed with a double down the left field line advancing Kaase to third and then when Neal bobbled the ball near the corner, Kaase raced home with the first run of the night.  Lawson then delivered an RBI single up the middle to give Bakersfield a 2-0 lead.
 
San Jose managed only two singles in the first four innings against Bleier before Gillaspie led off the bottom of the fifth with a towering home run to right field.  The Blaze though immediately answered with a run of their own in the top of the sixth.  Lawson led off with a triple to deep right center and scored when the next batter, Stoneburner, singled to left.  Mixon though was able to limit the damage inducing Butler to line into a double play before Mauro Gomez grounded out.  
 
David Quinowski relieved Mixon to begin the top of the seventh and worked around a one-out walk to keep the score at 3-1.  Quinowski (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO) was credited with the victory out of the Giants bullpen.
 
Gillaspie (3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) reached base in all four of his plate appearances to lead a nine-hit San Jose offensive attack.  Neal (2-for-5, RBI) also finished with a multi-hit game.

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