The De Anza College Mountain Lions lost to the visiting Cabrillo College Seahawks 26-7 moving to 2-11 overall record on Feb. 20.
A 12-run fifth inning put the game out of reach, moving the team to a 2-11 overall record by the end of that game. This game put the team 0-7 at home and 2-4 away.
Cabrillo opened up the game scoring two runs. Designated hitter Lawson Darthard (De Anza No. 40) 19, business major, hit a two-run homerun in the first inning to tie the game.
“At the start we came right back. Answered when they scored, we scored,” head coach Don Watkins said. “Just tip your hat to the other team and move on. They just played better than us today.”
Cabrillo retook the lead in the top of the second inning, scored four runs in the third inning which went unanswered by the Mountain Lions.
Cabrillo did most of its damage in the fifth inning, forcing the Mountain Lions to use three relief pitchers, Tyson Paganini (De Anza No. 21), Chris Smith II (De Anza No. 12) and Zack Trujillo (De Anza No. 34), who gave up 12 runs combined.
Shortstop Ellis Lubiens (Cabrillo No. 6) who went 5-for-7 in the game, hit a three-run homerun against Trujillo.
De Anza used nine pitchers in the game, including position players Vince Garcia (De Anza No. 4) and Keanu Hennings (De Anza No. 17) 20, kinesiology major, with a tired bullpen coming off their third straight game.
“It was a taxi game (extra players needed). Three in a row, three long games, it’s rough,” Watkins said. “It’s rough we competed in them, that’s two out of three competed in and today was just a game, we played baseball.”
Hennings went 1-for-4 with two RBIs including a ninth inning pitching appearance, striking out two Seahawks.
“We did not play to our best abilities at all but it’s just one game,” Darthard who went 3-for-4 said, “We have more games to come.”
Catcher Jordan Maske (De Anza No. 23) 20, communications major, said, “The potential and talent’s there, things just need to fall in the right place for us and good things will happen.”
The Mountain Lions would later snap their four game losing streak with its next game against Contra Costa College on Feb. 25, bringing the record to 3-11 overall. The team goes up against Cabrillo again on Tuesday, March 3 at 2 p.m. away.
The team’s conference games do not start until March 10, where it faces the Skyline College Trojans in a three-game series.
