Skyline baseball search for momentum in loss to Chabot College

What started as a warm and sunny day quickly turned cold and rainy at the Skyline Trojans v. Chabot Gladiators baseball game Tuesday afternoon. Similarly, the Trojans began with an impressive home run by Neil Sterling, but the team took a downturn in the sixth inning, culminating in a 7-3 win for the Chabot Gladiators.

Lefthanded pitcher Daniel Madigan started the game for the Trojans, allowing two runs from Chabot in the first inning. Skyline answered back with a two run homer over the centerfield fence by Sterling. The Trojans finished with three runs at the end of the first inning.

“I felt pretty good after the home run, but I tried too hard the next few times at bat, so I had to remind myself to take a deep breath,” Sterling said.

Spirits were high on both sides as pitches were thrown and bats were swung. Each team competed strongly, leaving the score locked at 3-2 in favor of the Trojans until the sixth inning.

At the top of the fifth, Chabot’s Michael Hidalgo attempted to steal second, but was caught for a third out by eagle eyed Madigan.

Undeterred, the Chabot Gladiators could be seen dancing to “I Like To Move it” between scoreless innings. The beginning of the sixth inning brought with it a cold drizzle and a Chabot home run by Jesse Lewis, putting the high spirited Gladiators ahead.

With the opposing team still at bat and bases loaded, Skyline coach Dino Nomicos called a timeout and opted for the fresh arm of Michael Espino, retiring Madigan who threw for six innings. However, the switch did not prevent the Chabot team from scoring as Mike Echavia made it home when the ball unexpectedly veered towards third, resulting in an error for Skyline.

“We weren’t fully there,” Felix Aberoutte, catcher, said. “We needed to keep competing through the whole game. Don’t get complacent.”

The Trojans attempted to answer back with hits by Sterling and Steven Hughes, but failed to create runs. At the end of the sixth inning the score tallied Gladiators 6-3.

“We had good energy in the first inning, but we lost some energy, lost some momentum after that,” Sterling said. “We needed to put more pressure on the other team.”

Chabot pulled in one last run at the top of ninth, ending the game with a final score of 7-3. Immediately following the end of the game, the rain started in earnest, leaving players and coaches to hurry to cover for a post-game pep talk.

“It was a competitive ballgame between good teams,” Trojan assistant coach, Geoff Downing, said. “We got into a funk but that’s what preseason is for- to play teams equivalent to what we’ll see in the league.”

Downing says he’s confident that the team will come together.

“We have one of the best pitching rosters without a doubt,” Downing said. “We have skills, bat, and power, and our goal is to win leagues and make post-season.”