MATADORS SUFFER LATE LOSS AT LIONS TOURNEY

By Ramon Scott
Updated: March 27, 2018

2018 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

By Dave Dickens

EastCountySports.com

SPRING VALLEY (03-26- 2018) – To suffer a loss on the final play, after fighting tooth and nail, is truly a heartbreaking loss.

Mount Miguel, now 2-6 overall, lost 3-2 to the Washington Eagles (3-6) from the Bay Area, San Francisco to be exact.

With only eight games in the books, the Mount Miguel Matadors baseball squad has been in a majority of their contests, just leaving too many men stranded on base.

“Our same issues plagued us in this game, no hits with runners in scoring position, and the inability to close out a game,” said Matadors head coach FRANK COIT. “We are battling hard and not giving up, we have just been unsuccessful getting over these two glaring obstacles.

“However, I am confident that we will and are on the right track, we are the ‘close but no cigar’ team at the moment.”

There were the positives, as both pitching staffs were battling it out, the host Matadors struck out seven and the visitors, five.

The Matadors came out of the gate hot in the top of the first, wasting no time striking first. Matador,

Matador JULIUS HARRIS dropped one into left field on a 1-0 count, scoring AUSTIN ORTIZ, making it 1-0 Mount Miguel.

Junior NICO CAMACHO pitched five innings of shutout baseball, until the bottom of the sixth, when Camacho walked a pair of Eagles, and both Camacho and catcher CAMERON BEAUZEC committed an error, scoring the tying run from third, making it a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth with only one out.

The wheels started to come off at that point, intentionally walking the next Eagle, leaving the bases loaded with only one down, not to mention an Eagle stole second.

The next Eagle up popped out to left, deep enough for the runner at third to tag up and score, leaving it 2-1 Eagles, after next batter strikes out swinging, heading into the top of the seventh.

On a 2-1 pitch, JOSEPH MENDOZA was hit by a pitch, advancing to first.

“I did my job, sometimes the ball doesn’t go your way,” Mendoza said. “I appreciate the effort by my team, but in the clutch we just didn’t get it done. You are only as good as your last at bat, and I lived by that today. Bottom line we just left way too many guys on base.”

AUSTIN ORTIZ grounded out to the pitcher, moving Mendoza into scoring position with one out.

ANGELO ZERTUCHE drilled a line drive into centerfield on a 2-2 count, as Mendoza scored the tying run, 2-2, with still only one out.

Unfortunately for the Matadors, the offense stranded three runners, leaving the opposition three tries to walk off and grab the win.

Camacho pitched a phenomenal game and remained in to try and preserve the tie and head into extra frames.

Four pitches struck out the first Eagle looking, for one down.

Next, on a 1-0 count, an Eagle player roped a line drive to left, making it one on and one away. On a 1-1 count, the runner stole second, and on the 2-2 count, Washington got a single to center, scoring the visitors from the Bay Area a win walk-off style, 3-2.

“There wasn’t a whole lot going on in my head, just wanted to get on base and help put a rally together for my squad,” said freshman JOJO CASTILLO. “I wanted to jump on the fastball because the pitcher had some good off-speed stuff. Luckily I found a hole in the field, and the ball got through.”