The baseball team succumbed to the Burlingame Panthers 9-7 on Friday afternoon.
The Bears began the game struggling defensively, allowing for numerous hits and stolen bases. After a line drive down the third base line, the Panthers managed to find home and start the game up 1-0. The Panthers continued to overpower the M-A pitching, going up 3-0 due to defensive errors to end the top of the inning.
On offense, the Bears started off hot with a walk from freshman first baseman Owen Coupe. Soon after, a balk by the Panthers’ pitcher allowed Coupe to advance to second base. Senior shortstop Ryder Kelly continued this momentum with a high hit single to right field. Freshman third baseman Oliver Coupe followed by drawing a walk and maintaining the hot streak. Ow. Coupe put the first points on the board for M-A after a wild pitch, bringing the score to 3-1.
“At the plate, I felt very calm and collected. I was able to get my A swing off, and I was able to drive the ball to left center and down the right field line,” Ow. Coupe said.
Refusing to let up, senior designated hitter MJ Ellazar took advantage of a fastball, sending a line drive aggressively down the left field gap, and advancing Ol. Coupe home to tie the game at 3-3.
Flyouts by sophomore right fielder Luke Ten Vaanholt and junior center fielder Merrick Lee, followed by a failed attempt at an extra base by Ellazar, ended the inning at 3-3.
Senior pitcher Max Brubacher started the second inning off with authority, striking out back-to-back batters and utilizing his fastball and off-speed curveball to fool batters. The Bears ended the top of the inning after a pop out to Ten Vaanholt. M-A was quiet on offense, with quick groundouts and pop flies to cap the inning off scoreless, 3-3.
Burlingame began the third inning by applying pressure with several hits. With the bases loaded, a walk by Brubacher allowed the Panthers to score a run, making it 4-3. The Bears ended the top of the third with a pitcher swap and strikeout by freshman pitcher Bryant Ho. On offense, the Bears’ stalemate continued. M-A struggled to find the barrel, sending grounders and popups to the Panthers’ defense and finishing the inning down 4-3.
The Bears faced trouble on defense in the fifth inning, with multiple singles setting runners up in scoring position. After a passed ball by freshman catcher Joey Dresch, the Panthers scored and continued with a two-run double to bring the tally to 7-3. After more hits, the Bears ended the inning down 9-3.
Back on offense, Ow. Coupe sparked momentum with a crushed single in the right field gap. Kelly punctuated this by demolishing a two-run home run to right field, narrowing M-A’s deficit to 9-5. “I got down 0-2 quickly in the count. I knew he was gonna throw a fastball again, because I had just been late on both so I just hit right on the sweet spot and took it over the fence,” Kelly said. Unfortunately, strikeouts by the Bears put an end to the flame.
The Bears emerged focused on defense, forcing ground balls and fly outs, and sending them into the bottom half of the seventh inning down 9-5. To start the Bears’ offense, Lee sent the crowd to their feet with a home run. After a walk, Ow. Coupe drove a runner in with a pounded double to further their comeback, trailing 9-7. However, this push proved insufficient, and the game ended after the Panthers caught a pop fly from Kelly.
“We had 11 walks today and 11 free bases, not going to win games like that. So we need to get the first pitch strike, and now limit base runners,” Kelly said.
The Bears will play the Menlo Knights at home on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
