The De Anza College baseball team lost to the visiting Ohlone College Renegades 11-5 on Tuesday, April 22, but the Dons didn’t go down quietly in their last home game of the season.

Dons’ assistant coach Ralph Maldonado was ejected for failing to go away quietly. Maldonado grew incensed after a controversial call in the bottom of the seventh inning cost De Anza an out.

With runners at first and second for the Dons and one out in the inning, freshman shortstop Alejandro Padilla hit a pop up to the right side behind first base. The second baseman for Ohlone ran over and attempted to catch the ball, but dropped it.

The runners scrambled to advance in reaction to the drop as the second baseman picked up the ball and threw to second base. Both runners reached safely, but Padilla was called out because the field umpire claimed to have called the infield fly rule.

De Anza Head Coach Scott Hertler went out to dispute the call with the field umpire and at the same time Maldonado went out to discuss the call with the home plate umpire. The home plate umpire took issue with this and ejected Maldonado.

This struck a nerve with Maldonado and he got in the umpire’s face to yell at him before being corralled by Hertler.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Lucas Yovanovich started the game for the Dons and kept the game scoreless through three innings until Ohlone broke through in the top of the fourth.

Yovanovich walked the leadoff hitter to start the fourth inning. Then Ohlone’s right fielder Jordan Meier singled to put runners at first and third with one out in the inning.

Center fielder Daniel Parsons followed with a two-run double to right and made the score 2-0 in favor of the Renegades. Ohlone scored another run on a bases loaded walk and the score was 3-0.

Yovanovich was removed after the bases-loaded walk and sophomore right-handed pitcher Jack Rader was put in. Rader got the last out of the inning on a fly out to limit the damage.

Ohlone extended its lead in the top of the fifth, scoring seven to make the score 10-0.

The score remained stagnant until the Dons broke through in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Freshman right fielder Cole Lang began the inning with a leadoff double and freshman first baseman Stanley Sumibcay doubled him home for the Dons’ first run of the game. After a passed ball allowed Sumibcay to advance to third, freshman third baseman Tyler Walters singled him home to make the score 10-2.

This is when Padilla’s pop up caused the commotion and the call cost the Dons a crucial out.

Freshman center fielder Christopher O’Conner hit a two-run double to cut in the Renegades’ lead at 10-4. But the Dons’ rally was cut short on a strikeout to end the inning.

Ohlone scored another run in the top of the eighth and De Anza scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, making the final score 11-5.

Hertler said he had mixed emotions about the game. The team was hoping to go out winning, but they came back and scored to put up a good fight.

“We have gone through a rough year,” Hertler said to his team after the game. “Ten years down the road you will look back and smile because tough things like this make you a better person.”