Sarah Atito
Infielder Mateo Rodriguez (De Anza No. 22) runs to first base after hitting ball at De Anza baseball field on March 18.
The De Anza Mountain Lions took on the visiting San Mateo Bulldogs on March 18, losing 11-4.
Right fielder Evan McRae (De Anza No. 19) 20, business major, was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Designated hitter Logan Vieira (De Anza No. 24), 20, business major, was 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Shortstop Drew Paxton (De Anza No. 2) was 1-for-3 with one RBI.
De Anza started the game leading 3-0 with the first two innings, but struggled to score again until the bottom of the eighth inning. By that time the game was out of reach, barring a late rally.
“They (San Mateo) made some adjustments over there,” said head coach Don Watkins. “Happy to be playing competitively for six, seven innings, but we’re right where we are supposed to be.”
De Anza pitching gave up 11 unanswered runs.
Pitcher Skylar Roenicke (De Anza No. 27), 20, film and TV production major, gave up a solo home run to first baseman Luke Rossi (San Mateo No. 5) in the top of the third inning, cutting De Anza’s lead to 3-1.
The Bulldogs scored a run in each inning, starting from the top of the third inning to the top of the sixth inning.
It was a 3-3 tie in the top of the fourth inning until San Mateo took the lead with an RBI single from Rossi.
Roenicke went four innings, giving up four runs and striking out three Bulldogs.
San Mateo put the game out of reach when they scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning, but the Mountain Lions’ errors helped the Bulldogs gain their lead. Pitcher Jay Hernandez (De Anza No. 33) pitched that inning and only gave up two earned runs, as three runs were unearned.
Shortstop Drew Paxton had a tough error when a hard-hit ball was hit to him and it went right under his glove. Later that inning with runners at first and second, a San Mateo hitter bunted the ball back to Hernandez, who then threw it over to third baseman Alec Ortiz (De Anza No. 16), 20, computer science major, leading a run to score.
Down 11-3 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, McRae led off the inning with a single into left field. First baseman Myles Potter (De Anza No. 26), 20, criminal justice major, followed up with a double into the right field gap, putting runners at second and third base.
Vieira hit a sacrifice fly into center field, scoring McRae as the Mountain Lions were unable to get more runs in the inning, ending the game 11-4.
“(We’re) ready to bounce back, have a good positive attitude and get ready to work on Thursday, then Saturday,” said Ortiz. “We could have done better, put the ball in play a lot more, but like I said we’re ready to battle on Thursday and Saturday.”
“We’re going to win one,” said Watkins. “We were off to a hard start and we’ve won the most wins, but when we’re in conference it’s a whole different ball of wax.”