LA MIRADA, California- Lance Smith
The Shepherds had another game of Sunset League action as they faced the Inland Valley Buccaneers. Andrew White started on the mound for the Shepherds pitching a total of 3 innings in which he gave up 6 earned runs on 6 hits. The Sheps took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd but the Bucs were sure to send a swift reply in the bottom of the 2nd. The game looked to be within reach as the offense was hitting balls hard and White seemed able to attack the Bucs hitters and limit damage from the bump.
Unfortunately for the Shepherds, the game quickly unraveled in the bottom of the 3rd inning when the Bucs were able to put up a 5-spot including a grand slam that just creeped over the left field wall. After that, relief took over and was unable to stop the bleeding as the Bucs put up 9 more runs the remainder of the game. At the plate, the lineup looked to have turned a corner after putting up a 2 spot in the 2nd but were unable to scratch anything else across tallying a total of 4 hits.
Notes
- Jackson LoBianco went 2 for 3 with 2 singles
- Jake Lopez went 1-1 with a double and recorded an RBI on a sac fly
- Kaiden Zacharias went 1-3 with an RBI single
- Nathan Weatherly threw out a runner from behind the plate
- Simms Owens recorded 5 putouts and 1 assist from center field
Quote from pitching coach, Isaac friesen
“There are always positives that can be taken from any outcome. We battled early on, we had some good energy and took some good at bats as well and I think the pitchers kept us in the game. We had some defensive errors that really cost us and cost us momentum as well. But, I think we started off well, showed some good flashes, good at bats, and just needed to continue that energy throughout those later innings.”
What’s next
The Shepherds have a week off of games for camp at El Dorado High School and Rose Drive Friends Church but will return to action on July 4th. Games are live streamed on the Shepherds Facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/socalfcabaseball/. To stay up to date on all things Shepherds baseball follow us on Instagram (@shepherds_baseball), Twitter (@SoCalShpherds), and Facebook (Southern California FCA Baseball).