BASEBALL: Highland rallies for payback win against Lancaster
April 3, 2015
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
PALMDALE — Two days after wasting a seemingly unwastable chance to take down Lancaster, Highland still felt the sting of heartbreak.
Sorrow, however, the Bulldogs felt not. Particularly not for the Eagles during a redemptive 8-5 Golden League win on Friday.
"They just decided it's not going to happen again." Highland coach Manuel Mobley said.
Just like during Wednesday's league opening-game, the Bulldogs (3-11, 1-1 GL) fell behind 4-0 after 3 innings.
In contrast to then, a game Highland lost 5-4 despite loading the bases with no outs in the final inning, this time the Bulldogs completed their rally by feasting on a pile of Lancaster mistakes in the fourth inning and scoring five of eight unanswered runs to earn some sweet payback.
"We took every opportunity we had," Highland starting pitcher Joseph Martinez said. " Any mess-up they had was beneficial for us."
Having collected a single and three walks against starter Gabe Curtier through the first three innings, the Bulldogs broke through in the fourth via a base hit, two walks, two hit batters and three Lancaster fielding errors.
The last one allowed Zach Jones to score the prized fifth run the Bulldogs somehow had failed to get two days before.
"Whether it was hustle or some mistakes made by them, we took advantage of them," Mobley said. "That's what you got to do in this game. They're going to give free runs, you have to take advantage of them."
Martinez went 2-for-4 for the Eagles, who picked up two of only four total hits in the sixth inning, where they added three insurance runs.
Highland had no trouble getting its share of runners on base, however. In addition to two hit batters, the Bulldogs drew eight walks on the day.
"Bottom line for this game quite frankly is too many free base runners, too many errors," Lancaster coach Tony Holiday said.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the third inning when Dane Anderson smacked a grounder through the left hole to drive in Kenny Johnson - who played hero on Wednesday by striking out the side during the final inning of his team's win. A Donovan Raskopf sac fly made it 2-0 and an error allowed Anthony Baker to score a third run.
Baker would drive in Jason Potter an inning later to give the Eagles their second 4-0 lead in as many Golden League games. This one would evaporate completely.
"We didn't come out ready," said Curtier, who went five innings, gave up two hits while walking five and striking out five. "The defense didn't have its head in the game, made those three errors that cost us five runs in the fourth and it just made our morale go down."
With Jones on the mound for Highland in the top of the seventh, Curtier and Baker led off the frame with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners, and the Bulldogs began to sweat.
Following act, Anderson hit a hot hopper to Martinez, who was playing third base, and the Bulldog started a 5-4-3 double play that scored a Lancaster run but killed whatever momentum and hope the Eagles had left.
"Everybody gave a big sigh of relief after that because that one run didn't matter," Mobley said. "We played relaxed after that."
Not far removed from getting in the roughest of jams and living to tell the tale, Lancaster couldn't hold on this time.
The good news for everybody is that it's only game No. 2 of the league season.
"We're going to find some times we're going to be behind and we got to do a better job of handling those situations," Holiday said. "We did not do a good job of that today.
"Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't. Today it didn't go our way."
The tables turned within two days and, the Bulldogs, who hope to not trail 4-0 before reacting the next time around, were glad it went their way Friday.
"There was no quit," Mobley said. "We learned a little bit from Wednesday."
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
PALMDALE — Two days after wasting a seemingly unwastable chance to take down Lancaster, Highland still felt the sting of heartbreak.
Sorrow, however, the Bulldogs felt not. Particularly not for the Eagles during a redemptive 8-5 Golden League win on Friday.
"They just decided it's not going to happen again." Highland coach Manuel Mobley said.
Just like during Wednesday's league opening-game, the Bulldogs (3-11, 1-1 GL) fell behind 4-0 after 3 innings.
In contrast to then, a game Highland lost 5-4 despite loading the bases with no outs in the final inning, this time the Bulldogs completed their rally by feasting on a pile of Lancaster mistakes in the fourth inning and scoring five of eight unanswered runs to earn some sweet payback.
"We took every opportunity we had," Highland starting pitcher Joseph Martinez said. " Any mess-up they had was beneficial for us."
Having collected a single and three walks against starter Gabe Curtier through the first three innings, the Bulldogs broke through in the fourth via a base hit, two walks, two hit batters and three Lancaster fielding errors.
The last one allowed Zach Jones to score the prized fifth run the Bulldogs somehow had failed to get two days before.
"Whether it was hustle or some mistakes made by them, we took advantage of them," Mobley said. "That's what you got to do in this game. They're going to give free runs, you have to take advantage of them."
Martinez went 2-for-4 for the Eagles, who picked up two of only four total hits in the sixth inning, where they added three insurance runs.
Highland had no trouble getting its share of runners on base, however. In addition to two hit batters, the Bulldogs drew eight walks on the day.
"Bottom line for this game quite frankly is too many free base runners, too many errors," Lancaster coach Tony Holiday said.
The Eagles opened the scoring in the third inning when Dane Anderson smacked a grounder through the left hole to drive in Kenny Johnson - who played hero on Wednesday by striking out the side during the final inning of his team's win. A Donovan Raskopf sac fly made it 2-0 and an error allowed Anthony Baker to score a third run.
Baker would drive in Jason Potter an inning later to give the Eagles their second 4-0 lead in as many Golden League games. This one would evaporate completely.
"We didn't come out ready," said Curtier, who went five innings, gave up two hits while walking five and striking out five. "The defense didn't have its head in the game, made those three errors that cost us five runs in the fourth and it just made our morale go down."
With Jones on the mound for Highland in the top of the seventh, Curtier and Baker led off the frame with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners, and the Bulldogs began to sweat.
Following act, Anderson hit a hot hopper to Martinez, who was playing third base, and the Bulldog started a 5-4-3 double play that scored a Lancaster run but killed whatever momentum and hope the Eagles had left.
"Everybody gave a big sigh of relief after that because that one run didn't matter," Mobley said. "We played relaxed after that."
Not far removed from getting in the roughest of jams and living to tell the tale, Lancaster couldn't hold on this time.
The good news for everybody is that it's only game No. 2 of the league season.
"We're going to find some times we're going to be behind and we got to do a better job of handling those situations," Holiday said. "We did not do a good job of that today.
"Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't. Today it didn't go our way."
The tables turned within two days and, the Bulldogs, who hope to not trail 4-0 before reacting the next time around, were glad it went their way Friday.
"There was no quit," Mobley said. "We learned a little bit from Wednesday."