Story by Christianne Duley
Staff Writer
Photo by Kaitlyn Lee
Staff Photographer
Baseball has a 3-4 record after their game against El Rancho on Tuesday, March 4. The team was winning at first, but El Rancho managed to dramatically pull ahead in the top of the seventh inning and defeat South Pasadena 9-6.
South Pasadena started strong as they persistently got out El Rancho’s players behind pitching from senior Jon Bracamonte. Senior Charlie Vogel secured a run in the top of the second inning. Vogel sprinted to third after hitting the ball past El Rancho’s left fielder and jogged home when senior Diego Gurfein singled.
El Rancho tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with a run, but South Pasadena pulled ahead again in the top of the fifth inning. Junior Aaron Kawasaki doubled, and his opportunity to score arrived when freshman Cody Robinson singled, allowing Kawasaki to dive home safely.
The team plowed ahead in the top of the sixth inning as senior Nathan Olivares, Vogel, junior Tate Mendoza, and junior Phil Malatesta all scored runs. Olivares started the inning by sliding into home before El Rancho could tag him. Following the run, Vogel and Mendoza scored as El Rancho struggled to tame the Tigers’ offense. Malatesta brought two runners home on a single, setting the score at 6-1.
“I am really pleased with my performance from yesterday, especially at the plate,” Vogel said. “Leading off an inning can be difficult, but the fact that I was able to do it twice, record extra base hits, and score both times was a pretty big accomplishment.”
The bottom of the seventh inning got tense after Bracamonte was swapped for Robinson. Following a series of errors by South Pasadena’s defense, hits, and walks, El Rancho pulled ahead with eight runs in the inning. With the bases constantly loaded, South Pasadena lost their lead in a flash.
South Pasadena did not manage to score in the top of the seventh inning, resulting in a final score of 9-6.
“Our team goal is to bring a Rio Hondo League title back to South Pasadena,” Vogel said. “The brotherhood that we’ve built is extremely strong, and we know that we have the talent to win the league and make a deep run in the CIF Playoffs.”
Baseball will play next against California at home on Thursday, March 6 at 3:15 p.m.
