The baseball team beat the Pioneer Mustangs 6-1 in the first round of CCS on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears started off strong at the top of the first, getting a quick three outs and only allowing one batter to get on base. This momentum continued on the plate too, as M-A’s first hitter, sophomore outfielder Merrick Lee, sent out a grounder that split the Mustangs’ defense and put him on first. Junior second baseman Ryder Kelly shortly followed up with a double, leading to a grounder by senior first baseman Jimmy Zaharias that would bring Lee to home plate.
However, things didn’t end there. After senior shortstop Will Roberts was walked from four balls, the bases were loaded with zero outs. Despite the next batter striking out, junior designated hitter MJ Ellazar stepped up and sent a pop fly to the outfield that the Mustangs fumbled, making way for Kelly to find home and putting the score at 2-0. Another walk from senior catcher JT Anderson brought the score to 3-0, but the offensive streak was put to an end after two more strikeouts.
Starting the second inning, the Bears’ defense remained unmatched as junior pitcher Wes Peterson got a quick three outs. Offensively, M-A began to slow down from their initial hot inning. The first two batters, Lee and Kelly, were caught by the Mustangs’ pitcher as they tried stealing second base. Already having two outs, the Bears still managed to get a few hitters on base, but soon after, Pioneer caught a pop-fly to end the inning.
M-A’s defense continued to dominate Pioneer as Peterson picked up the first two batters hits, then threw it to Zaharias for the outs at first. The Mustangs finally began to show signs of life by getting two players on base after a bunt and a walk, but Peterson killed any hope they had by striking out the next batter in three.
Leading off for the Bears at the bottom of the third was junior third baseman Masataka Shudo, who walked to first and soon after swiftly stole second base. Despite the good start, the Bears encountered difficulty with a strikeout and pop-out. Even so, Lee, being the next batter up, nailed the ball down the sideline for a double, bringing Shudo home and setting the score at 4-0. The inning came to a close with the Mustangs catching another pop-out.
On defense, Peterson continued to waste no time and throw heat, striking out the first two batters in three again. The next Mustang sent the ball flying up in the air, allowing Lee to catch it and giving the Bears their third out.
“Our pitching was phenomenal, we got a great four innings from Wes which really helped us out this game,” senior center-fielder Ronan Cutright said.
The Bears offense began to find their groove once again during the bottom of the fifth, starting off with Zaharias, who hit a line drive that put him on second base. Roberts then followed this up with a strategic bunt that allowed him to settle on first. Staying relentless, the Bears continued to make good contact at bat, and hits from Ellazar and senior outfielder Jack Molise brought Zaharais and Roberts home, expanding M-A’s lead to 6-0. However, their streak ended shortly after from a few strikeouts and a pop-out.
Going into the fifth inning, the Mustangs were in desperate need of scoring if they wanted any chance at coming back. Knowing this, the Bears’ defense remained tight-knit, only letting one batter find base before getting an easy three outs.
Despite the success on the defensive end, the Bears started to face more offensive trouble. Difficulty in making good contact at bat ended the fifth inning without any change in score.
This offensive slump, paired with great defense from both teams, continued through the sixth inning, resulting in M-A maintaining their 6-0 lead.
The Mustangs started showing signs of life in the top of the seventh by scoring a run of their own, but even so, their efforts came far too late, and the Bears secured the victory with a final score of 6-1.
“I think we did well. We had really good energy throughout the entire game, along with great defense and pitching,” Lee said.
The Bears will return to the field Wednesday at Sollecito Park to play Hollister for the second round of CCS playoffs at 4 p.m.
