Mt. SAC baseball took a tough 7-3 loss against the Rio Hondo Roadrunners on Saturday, Feb. 28 in what would’ve continued their previous five-game winning streak.
With clear skies and country music on blast, SAC baseball started on a high note but was pushed to a halt in their 2nd inning when Rio Hondo’s right hand pitcher scored their first run of the game.
With spirits still high, sophomore shortstop Ryan Castro (7) hit a double, advancing to third base while freshman utility player Chip Mertz (31) and freshman catcher Hudson Karczynski (11) were both able to score, making it 2-1 at the end of the 3rd inning. This would be SAC’s last time scoring until the final inning.
At the top of the 4th inning, SAC showed off their defensive skills, primarily Castro (7) and freshmen first baseman Luca Lombardi (8) , both playing a part in securing multiple outs and locking in on preventing another scoring opportunity for Rio Hondo. By the top of the 5th inning, coach John Knott made his first switch, trading out pitcher sophomore right hand pitcher Brenden Menchaca (18) with freshman left hand pitcher Juan Verduzco (17).
“We have a lot of confidence in Brenden Menchaca, he helped us win a state championship last year,” coach Knott said. “Credit to Rio Hondo, they had some good at bats and worked up his pitch count a bit … but once they took the lead and made it 4-2 we just tried to give them a different look. Juan Verduzco did a good job, he came in and gave us a chance there, keeping the score at bay.”
During the bottom of the seventh, Lombardi (8) was able to walk a pitch making it to first base. He advanced to second and third base until he was caught stealing home and tagged out on a catcher to pitcher play. Going into the 8th inning, Rio Hondo scored twice with a two-run double, driving in two players to score.
At the bottom of the 9th inning, sophomore infielder Nick Mejia (2) slammed a double, followed by Lombardi (8) hitting a single RBI, allowing Mejia (2) to score SAC’s final point on the score board.
With SAC’s tough loss against Rio Hondo, whom they played and won twice this week, Lombardi (8) said it was due to team energy.
“The last couple of games, the last five, we’ve had a lot more energy than we did today,” he said. “I think maybe it was just a long week, and we fell short. But I’m not going to get down on the team because I know next week we can get right back at it.”
SAC baseball will have their next fighting chance against the El Camino Warriors on March 3 at 2:oo p.m. at El Camino, followed by another game on March 5 at home at 2:00 p.m.
