BASEBALL: Rosamond falls short against Buckley
May 18, 2013
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press Assistant Sports Editor
SHERMAN OAKS — In an inning full of defensive mistakes on Friday, the Roadrunners were fazed with two possible outcomes.
One was granted clemency from the baseball gods so they could minimize the scoring damage. The other was an offensive demolishing by Buckley, the Roadrunners’ CIF-Southern Section Division 6 first-round opponent.
On a day with enough errors to spread over multiple innings, the Roadrunners got both, something that translated into a season-ending 13-0 loss.
“That’s your final score when we make as many errors as we did,” Rosamond coach Stan Lyons said.
The great total came out to 11 on this day. Four of them came in the second inning and four more took place in the fourth.
The one contrast: Rosamond escaped nearly unscathed in the second, only giving up one run, before getting lit up for seven in the fourth.
“I thought we were doing well until the fourth inning,” Rosamond starting pitcher Alfredo Mercado said.
Mercado had the stressing duty of leading an inconsistent defense. Spotless in innings 1 and 3, Mercado gave up one hit, two walks and a run in the second inning, with his worst mistake coming on a pickoff attempt at third that sailed past his baseman and allowed Buckley’s Ross Esse to score the frame’s only run.
Afterwards, a Rosamond assistant coach could be overheard expressing gratitude for only being down 1-0 going into the third. Mercado’s inning-ending strikeout had stranded three Griffins.
"We were in it," Lyons said.
But with déjà vu taking place only two innings later, Rosamond’s gratefulness was short-lived. Buckley got six of its 13 game hits in the fourth, which combined with the ’Runners’ four errors that kept Griffin runners on the move were enough to put the game out of reach.
Buckley third baseman Kevin De Corso led this inning off with a double. Several batters later, De Corso came back to hit another one to score the seventh and last run of the frame. With that, Mercado’s day ended.
“It’s very frustrating,” Mercado said. “The defense’s not backing me up, but I still have to get through the inning without getting mentally disturbed.”
Added Lyons: “I would say (the errors) got to (Mercado) a little bit.”
Not in their highest spirits, the Rosamond defense, this time led by relief pitchers Tyler Herrick and Zach DiProfio, gave up four more runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to round out the scoring.
Offensively, Rosamond never looked as poised to come away with the win as it did in the second inning, when it got three of its six hits for the game. The ’Runners loaded the bases with only one out, but Jon Studnicki’s hard liner to first was caught in the air by Buckley’s Reid Womack, who tagged the base for an inning-ending double play.
Buckley was led by De Corso, who was 3-for-3 with an RBI, and Womack, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
For Rosamond, Richard Gonzalez was 2-for-3. Gonzalez was one of two seniors — the other one being Evan Tosunian, who had a double — on a young Rosamond squad that went 13-9 and was in a three-way tie for second place in the High Desert League this year.
Three days removed from picking Vasquez apart in a 10-3 wild-card game game, Lyons and the Roadrunners felt their youth might have aided in their erratic showing on Friday.
“Story of our season,” Lyons said. “When we play well like we did (against Vasquez), we compete with people. But the next game we’ll kick the ball around and make mistakes. It’s part of being such a young team.”
On a day full of errors, make no mistake about it, Rosamond will take its tumble and look to come back stronger next season. They hope the sour playoff experience will serve as a driving force.
“It’s looking good for next year,” Mercado said.
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press Assistant Sports Editor
SHERMAN OAKS — In an inning full of defensive mistakes on Friday, the Roadrunners were fazed with two possible outcomes.
One was granted clemency from the baseball gods so they could minimize the scoring damage. The other was an offensive demolishing by Buckley, the Roadrunners’ CIF-Southern Section Division 6 first-round opponent.
On a day with enough errors to spread over multiple innings, the Roadrunners got both, something that translated into a season-ending 13-0 loss.
“That’s your final score when we make as many errors as we did,” Rosamond coach Stan Lyons said.
The great total came out to 11 on this day. Four of them came in the second inning and four more took place in the fourth.
The one contrast: Rosamond escaped nearly unscathed in the second, only giving up one run, before getting lit up for seven in the fourth.
“I thought we were doing well until the fourth inning,” Rosamond starting pitcher Alfredo Mercado said.
Mercado had the stressing duty of leading an inconsistent defense. Spotless in innings 1 and 3, Mercado gave up one hit, two walks and a run in the second inning, with his worst mistake coming on a pickoff attempt at third that sailed past his baseman and allowed Buckley’s Ross Esse to score the frame’s only run.
Afterwards, a Rosamond assistant coach could be overheard expressing gratitude for only being down 1-0 going into the third. Mercado’s inning-ending strikeout had stranded three Griffins.
"We were in it," Lyons said.
But with déjà vu taking place only two innings later, Rosamond’s gratefulness was short-lived. Buckley got six of its 13 game hits in the fourth, which combined with the ’Runners’ four errors that kept Griffin runners on the move were enough to put the game out of reach.
Buckley third baseman Kevin De Corso led this inning off with a double. Several batters later, De Corso came back to hit another one to score the seventh and last run of the frame. With that, Mercado’s day ended.
“It’s very frustrating,” Mercado said. “The defense’s not backing me up, but I still have to get through the inning without getting mentally disturbed.”
Added Lyons: “I would say (the errors) got to (Mercado) a little bit.”
Not in their highest spirits, the Rosamond defense, this time led by relief pitchers Tyler Herrick and Zach DiProfio, gave up four more runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to round out the scoring.
Offensively, Rosamond never looked as poised to come away with the win as it did in the second inning, when it got three of its six hits for the game. The ’Runners loaded the bases with only one out, but Jon Studnicki’s hard liner to first was caught in the air by Buckley’s Reid Womack, who tagged the base for an inning-ending double play.
Buckley was led by De Corso, who was 3-for-3 with an RBI, and Womack, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
For Rosamond, Richard Gonzalez was 2-for-3. Gonzalez was one of two seniors — the other one being Evan Tosunian, who had a double — on a young Rosamond squad that went 13-9 and was in a three-way tie for second place in the High Desert League this year.
Three days removed from picking Vasquez apart in a 10-3 wild-card game game, Lyons and the Roadrunners felt their youth might have aided in their erratic showing on Friday.
“Story of our season,” Lyons said. “When we play well like we did (against Vasquez), we compete with people. But the next game we’ll kick the ball around and make mistakes. It’s part of being such a young team.”
On a day full of errors, make no mistake about it, Rosamond will take its tumble and look to come back stronger next season. They hope the sour playoff experience will serve as a driving force.
“It’s looking good for next year,” Mercado said.