Skyline continues struggle against Cabrillo

Ramon+Enriquez+slides+into+home+plate+scoring+the+first+run+for+Skyline+College+on+March+10%2C+2018.+

Mark David Magat/The Skyline View

Ramon Enriquez slides into home plate scoring the first run for Skyline College on March 10, 2018.

Skyline lost to Cabrillo on Saturday 10-5, finishing the series one and two. Skyline’s men’s baseball team faced Cabrillo College on Saturday in the last game of their three-game series.

The Trojans entered Saturday’s game with a one and one record against the Seahawks. Cabrillo came out on top scoring 10 runs in their win over Skyline. The Trojans finished with one win and two losses against Cabrillo, and an overall record five wins and 15 losses.

Skyline’s infield had troubles all game that began in the early innings. After a wild pitch that gave Cabrillo the first home run of the game, an error by Shortstop, abbreviated SS, Andrew Kennedy advanced two base runners and gave Cabrillo their second run. The score was two to zero at the start of the bottom of the second inning.

“It just something we’ve got to button up. We made a few errors that shouldn’t have happened,” said Skyline’s designated hitter Nick Healey. “We just have to bounce back from it.”

Skyline had good swings on the bat throughout the game: Kennedy had a sacrifice fly that brought in Ramon Enriquez in for Skyline’s first run. Skyline had a productive inning but left two men on base at the end of the second inning.

“We struggled scoring when we had runners in scoring position,” said Skyline’s designated hitter Nick Healey.

The Trojan’s starting pitcher Sean Craig walked the first batter to start the third inning, but picked him off at first base giving the Trojans their first out. Craig pitched solidly the rest of the inning, getting his first of three strikeouts to end the top of the third.

Third baseman Kaimana Bartolome and outfielder Carlos Solis hit back-to-back doubles receiving a hopeful cheer from the crowd; they tied up the score at two runs apiece in the bottom of the third inning.

Cabrillo’s pitcher Tyler Biersdorff changed the tide of the game when he had shutdown innings in the fourth and fifth. Biersdorff gave up three earned runs in his five innings pitched, and looked composed on the mound in his second win of the season.

The Seahawks began taking control of the game when they scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings. By the bottom of the sixth Cabrillo had a three-run lead over Skyline.

Skyline started to rally back in the game with two good at-bats from Kennedy and Anthony Masetti resulting in two rub batted ins (RBIs). The Trojan’s strongest point of the game was inside the batter’s box, where they managed to score five runs on 12 hits.

“We need to build off the quality at-bats we had throughout the game,” said Healey when asked what positives the team could take away from this loss. “Even though we didn’t win, we still hit the ball hard on a few at-bats.”

Even with the good contact Skyline got on the ball, they could not outhit Cabrillo’s Seahawks. Cabrillo’s potent offense was emphasized by the errors made throughout the game by the Trojans.

Cabrillo continued their good batting when they scored two runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth solidifying their win over Skyline.

At the bottom of the eighth, Bartolome hit an RBI single that brought in Skyline’s center fielder Joey Pledger the final score was Seahawks ten Trojans five.

“Our starter did a great job, but we made some errors that made him throw an extra 40 pitches,” said Skyline’s Head Coach Dan Nomicos in a post-game interview. “From this point on we just have to stay positive and they got to try and win every series.”

Skyline’s Men’s baseball face another conference opponent in their next series when they try to get back in the win column against Monterey Peninsula College.