Eric Brodkin
Noki Lam
Staff Writers
Boys baseball lost, 1-0, against St. John Bosco on Tuesday at home. The Mustangs save up an early run in the first inning and were unable to match the Braves with some runs of their own.
“Coming out of the gate hot in the first inning is important,” senior Jack Nammack said. “It allows you to just worry about defense and not giving up runs rather than worrying about getting hits on offense.”
Junior pitcher Matthew Krause gave up a run early in the game. The team proceeded to shut the Braves out after their only run in the first inning.
“Consistency from our pitchers is key in giving up little to no runs,” Nammack said. “When our pitchers can control the game, it gives us an advantage. Even when the other team puts the ball in play, our defense is always there to get outs.”
The Mustangs were unable to execute early on, striking out almost every at-bat. This was the Mustangs’ first time being shutout this season, and, according to junior Jake DeSpain, they were unable to get anything going because of St. John Bosco’s talented pitcher.
“We weren’t able to score because we were facing an elite pitcher,” DeSpain said. “We also had some unlucky hits that went right to the other team, which didn’t help us out.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, with zero outs, the Mustangs had a man on second base in scoring position. However, the Mustangs were unable to get the player home, getting three outs without a hit. According to DeSpain, the team needs to work on capitalizing on important moments during the games.
“Our team could’ve scored the guy with a bunt and a quality at-bat,” DeSpain said. “We could improve by learning to be better team players and put together better at-bats when it really matters.”
The Mustangs were strong throughout the game, according to Nammack. Junior pitcher Alito McBean made a momentum-stopping play by catching the runner stealing from first and quickly throwing it to first, where junior Jake Hultz proceeded to get the runner out. This stopped the Braves from getting a runner in scoring position, leading to a series of outs to end the inning.
“Alito was able to make a good play and get the runner out,” Nammack said. “It fired up our dugout and created a little momentum for us.”
According to DeSpain, the team looks to bounce back by practicing hard and learning from their mistakes. The boys take on Garfield High School today at home at 3:30 p.m. Its record is 9-7 overall.
“The team will use this game as a motivator for our upcoming important games,” DeSpain said. “We will practice hitting at high velocity with pitching machines and live at-bats.”
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