Runs do not come easy against California’s top talent.
The Dos Pueblos High baseball team lost 3-0 at home to Alemany on Wednesday. The visiting side was ranked No. 2 among all Southern California prep baseball teams by the Los Angeles Times and is the No. 1 team in CIF-SS Division II.
“3-0 against a really good team, you know, I’m not happy about it, but it’s nice to know where we’re at,” Chargers head coach Nate Mendoza said.
Dos Pueblos’ Luke Loggins was given the difficult task of pitching to Alemany and turned in a fine performance. He threw a complete game, giving up seven hits and just one walk.
“From the first game of the year, coach has said just throw strikes, throw strikes,” Loggins said.
Despite Loggins’ good outing, he was outdone by his counterpart, Alemany senior Cody Thompson. Thompson pitched five shutout innings and struck out three batters while giving up three hits.
“He’s our ace. He’s thrown 22 innings this year and given up one run. So he knows how to pitch,” Alemany head coach Randy Thompson said.
The Warriors jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when first baseman Ryan Paramo hit a two-RBI double into left field.
The game then turned into a pitchers’ duel and neither team scored for the next five innings.
Loggins received help from his defense, most notably shortstop Ben York. The junior captain played a part in nine outs, and led the Chargers’ flawless fielding effort, which featured no errors.
Dos Pueblos’ best chance at a run came in the fifth inning. Left-fielder Colin Cole reached first base on an error, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Anthony Spiritosanto. Then York reached base, and Nolan Soto hit a ground ball to third to set up the game’s most controversial play. Alemany attempted a 5-4-3 double play, but second baseman Ryan Alvarez threw the ball over Paramo’s head, allowing Soto to reach base. But Paramo was thinking quickly and tracked down the wild throw in time to fire the ball over to home plate and tag out Cole, ending the inning.
“I thought he could have got a better angle,” Mendoza said about the umpire’s view of the play. “That’s all I thought. I’m not going to harp on the umpire—he called it like he saw it, and that’s the way it goes.”
In the seventh inning, Peter Van Gansen was able to extend Alemany’s lead by firing a line drive just past the outstretched glove of Chargers first baseman Daniel Vickers.
Van Gansen then pitched the seventh inning and closed out the game for the Warriors (7-1-1).
Dos Pueblos (6-2) lost for the first time in seven games, and will start Channel League competition on Friday at home against Ventura.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got a long season ahead of us and we want to see them again. Hopefully we see them in the playoffs.”
LINE SCORE
Alemany… 200 000 1 — 3 7 2
Dos Pueblos… 000 000 0 — 0 3 0
Thompson, Paramo (6), Van Gansen (6) and O’Brien. Loggins and Huthsing. W—Thompson (3-0). L—Loggins (3-1)
2B—A: Sims (2), Paramo, Suniga.
