Roller coasters are full of abrupt and extreme changes with highs and lows, which is the only way to describe the baseball team’s start this year, as it has encountered a rocky road of a season.
After suffering two defeats at home, the team rebounded by winning its two games on the road Thursday and Saturday against Long Beach City College and Compton College, respectively.
The team will now take its winning ways on the road again as it faces previous rival Pasadena City College Tuesday at 2 p.m.
“We know them and they know us,” coach Tom Bergeron said. “This time around, we’ll be more prepared for them.”
The Lancers will try to avenge themselves as they suffered their first conference loss three weeks ago at the hands of the Warriors, 7-2.
“We did okay against them the first time around,” designated hitter Billy Hernandez said. “We just have to throw strikes, cut down on the errors and the little mental mistakes.”
With their latest victories, the Warriors improved their overall record to 9-8, and a 5-3 conference record, which is the third best overall.
Despite a light drizzle, the team beat the Compton Tartars on Saturday, 7-1. Both teams tallied nine hits on offense, but the Warriors managed to score the runs, giving them the victory.
First baseman Mike Zuanich led the way as he went three for five with a single, a triple and a home run.
Zuanich scored three runs while driving in two.
Not far behind him was center fielder Chris Fox, who batted two for three with an RBI and two runs scored.
Picking up the victory was pitcher Eric Thacker, who threw six solid innings, allowing no runs on only four hits.
Thacker managed to strike out four batters and improved his record to 2-1 for the season.
“We’ve lost some heartbreakers, but we’ve rebounded pretty well,” Hernandez said.
The Warriors obtained their second win on the road as they beat the Long Beach City Vikings Thursday, 4-1.
During this game, the offense had twice as many hits as the Vikings with a total of 14.
Hernandez provided the team with three RBIs as he went two for four; also with two hits for the Warriors were Zuanich; catcher Chris Ornelios, and right fielder George Brunson.
“The pitchers pitched well and were able to hit their spots,” Bergeron said. “The defense played great, and we were also able to hit the ball pretty well this time around.”
The team has shown to be inconsistent; it has not been able to provide the dominant-caliber performance that it demonstrated in its most recent victories.
“It was important to get some wins after dropping two,” Bergeron said. “The big thing was that our pitching executed well.”
The number two must be the team’s favorite number; during its last six games, it has won two, lost two and is currently on a two-game winning streak.
While offense has been a factor, it has been the team’s defense and pitching that has helped it capture the victory late during the games.
In their last two games, the Warriors’ bullpen has allowed only two runs in the last two matches, compared to the 15 runs allowed in their two previous losses.
The Warriors swung the bats better during Saturday’s game; they scored a total of 12 runs, five more than the previous two games, on 24 hits.
“The pitchers stepped up as well as our defense,” Hernandez said. “Our bats will start coming around, but our defense and pitching are what will carry us this year.”
