The Moorpark College Raiders started strong in their second conference game against the Allan Hancock Bulldogs but were unable to keep up the heat and were ultimately defeated 10-3 on Thursday afternoon.
At the top of the first, the Raiders were already feeling the pressure as a player on third base was ready to give Hancock the lead but pitcher, Noah Balandran, shut them down with a strikeout to finish out the inning. Then it was the Raiders turn at back and after their 9-1 win against Hancock just two days earlier, they came out ready to win. At the end of the first, the Raiders went up one off a run by freshman center Trenton Packard.
Going into the second inning, the Bulldogs were still unable to score a run. The Raiders did not let up as sophomore infielder Cameron Kinsner scored from an error after the umpire called obstruction on the Bulldog’s catcher. Head Coach for the Bulldogs, Chris Stevens, who served as head coach at Oxnard College from 1992 to 1995, protested the decision from the umpire.
A protest, in baseball, is when the manager or head coach of a team decides to dispute a ruling made by an umpire and wants it reviewed. The protest was not upheld and the game continued, 2-0 with the Raiders in the lead.
Nick Woodall, Moorpark’s freshman second basemen, talked about what he wanted to personally improve on when he’s up to bat.
“Just staying calm and composed. Whether its a tie ballgame, your up a bunch or down a bunch, you need to stay composed,” said Woodall. “It’s just, at the end of the day, the same game. It’s always gonna be the same game of baseball, 90 feet, pitchers throwing the ball and you just gotta slow it down.”
The third inning went fast for the Bulldogs as three back-to-back outs brought the Raiders back to the plate. An RBI from freshman pitcher Dylan Swanson brought infielder Albert Prado home to give Moorpark a 3-0 lead. This, however, would be the last time the Raiders saw any player make it home.
The next three innings started to look up for Allen Hancock and put the pressure back on Moorpark. In the fifth, the Bulldogs cut their deficit to 3-2 after scoring two runs off three hits while the Raiders were not able to get any hits.
The sixth and seventh innings were damaging to the Raiders as the Bulldogs scored one run in the sixth, tying the game, then scoring three more in the seventh. During this time the Raiders were unable to score any hits and only managed to get to first base through an error. This brought the score to 6-3 in favor of the Bulldogs, going into the eighth.
Pitcher William Pryor addressed the Raiders slow performance after the third inning.
“We started off very hot and then I think after about the third inning we started to get in our own heads. But, we’re gonna be able to move on from that,” said Pryor. “Personally, I feel like I can improve by being a better teammate and helping keep the energy up in the dugout.”
The Raiders fought hard throughout the eighth inning, not allowing the Bulldogs to score any runs, but Moorpark was only able to get one hit by sophomore outfielder Leighton DeMello.
The ninth inning proved brutal for the Raiders as the Bulldogs secured another three runs. With the bases loaded again and two outs, the Raiders brought out Pryor to finish up the inning. The Raiders were unable to secure any hits in the ninth which left the final score at 10-3, Bulldogs.
Head Coach Mario Porto summarized what the Raiders did not accomplish in the game.
“We got those three runs but after that, we didn’t compete very well at the plate, a lot of fly ball outs. Just nothing. That was it. We just didn’t compete. Not good enough at the plate,” Porto explained. “We’re gonna stay with our normal practice, we’re only two games into the conference and it’s not time to push the panic button or anything.”
The Raiders will play next at LA Pierce College on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
