By Gustavo Buenrostro
Baseball failed to score a run for the second consecutive day against Riverside City College, at home losing 6-0, Feb. 11.
The day before East Los Angeles College lost at RCC 9-0. ELAC was not able to reach first base for the majority of the game, having two hits and striking out 12 times.
The day before ELAC managed four hits. RCC’s sophomore pitcher Blake Tuthill had an impressive performance against the Huskies, going seven innings allowing one hit and struck out 10.
Through the first seven innings when ELAC faced Tuthill, the Husky hitters were out in order through 7 innings, the first hit coming in the 8th inning, a single by freshman second baseman Thomas Acuna. Acuna has been one of ELAC’s better players with the bat. He leads the team with a .375 batting average and is tied for most hits for a Husky.
Head coach James Hines was disappointed with the team’s performance.
“It was good for them but bad for us. Their ability to pitch both sides of the plate and change speeds and our inability to adjust to what their pitchers were doing. We didn’t do a good job at pitching in the middle of the play and they made us pay for it.” Hines said.
Husky starting pitcher sophomore Adrian Cardenas gave up seven hits, two runs and struck out four in five innings of work. He is now 1-1 in the season. In the top of the third inning, Cardenas gave up a home run to sophomore designated hitter Ryan Mota, the first run of the game. “From a pitching standpoint, I expect more from our guys.
Especially the mental aspect of what they should be doing. It factors in so much when they are in a game,” Hines said.
Cardenas said his pitching did not goes as he planned. RCC beat ELAC in the 2000 state championship, winning in seven games and crowned champion for second straight year.
The losses to RCC were the first two of the season. ELAC started the season 6-0. It’s best start to a season since 2011. In its six wins ELAC out performed its opponents, scoring 50 to 17, since has gone scoreless in 18 innings. Last year, ELAC finished 17-19 and failed to make playoffs.
ELAC will start league play in the newly realigned South Coast ConferenceNorth. The SCC was split in half and added Rio Hondo College and Chaffey College.
ELAC traveled to College of the Canyons yesterday and lost 5-3. They are now on a three game losing steak 6-3.
6-0 loss to Riverside City College.