Sophomore Kaycee Wilke just couldn’t get it right.
Her pitches were up, down and everywhere she didn’t want them to be in Tuesday’s South Coast Conference game against the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties.
“I wanted to go out there and do my best and pitch,” Wilke said. “I just wasn’t feeling it, I don’t know why.”
Wilke pitched the first two innings in Tuesday’s 9-1 loss before giving way to freshman Diana Cortez. In her two innings against the defending state champions, Wilke faced 20 Mounty batters, giving up nine runs on eight hits while allowing four walks and two stolen bases.
The Warriors travel to East L.A. today, for a game at 3 p.m. Yesterday, the women traveled to Harbor College, but results were unavailable at press time.
“I don’t think she was fatigued, but everyone has those games,” coach Susie Calderon said. “Normally she is right on, but I felt she was a little flustered with the setting (Mt. SAC’s field). It is an intimidating place to play.”
With Mt. SAC being the defending state champion team, not to mention having won state every year since 2003, the parity between the Warriors (6-21, 0-11) and the Mounties (25-8, 8-3) is drastic.
“We knew who we were up against and we didn’t give up,” Calderon said. “We were up against a very good hitting lineup at their own field.”
The Warriors were shut down by Mt. SAC’s tandem of pitchers, as starting pitcher Diane Ortiz and her relief, Lisa Hernandez, allowed just one run on three hits while striking out ten Warrior batters.
“(Mt. SAC) has about four starting pitchers and their coach knows our situation,” Calderon said. “They got to play a lot of their substitutes when the game was basically over.”
Calderon has just nine players compared to Mt. SAC’s 22.
Before last weekend’s Santa Barbara tournament where the Warriors finished 2-2, Calderon found herself adjusting her lineup, switching some players from positions they have played in all season to positions she feels can help the team more.
Wilke, who normally has freshman Melissa Linares as her catcher, found sophomore Katelyn Oro behind the plate during the past few games.
“(Calderon) is doing the best she can,” Wilke said. “We are only working with nine and (shuffling the lineup) is the only way it can work.”
Calderon moved freshman Teresa Flores from first base to third, freshman Anjelica Cortez from second to first base and Linares from catcher to center field, attempting to strengthen the defense behind Wilke.
Coming into Tuesday’s game, Cortez knew she would be pitching against the Mounties, knowing it was just a matter of time. When she was called on in the third inning, Cortez said she knew it was going to happen.
“I didn’t feel pressured, but I was kind of scared,” Cortez said. “Last time they hit a lot of pitches back at me, but they shuffled their lineup this time.”
Cortez faced just six batters in her two innings of work, allowing no hits and getting four of the six Mounties she faced to ground out.
“(Cortez) has been hit hard recently, especially at the tournament,” Calderon said. “It helps her mindset on the mound when she does that well.”
The Warriors broke through with two outs in the fourth inning against Hernandez. Freshman Teresa Flores reached base as Wilke was called out at second base breaking up a double play. Oro came to bat next and hit a line drive to center field, but Samantha Sifuentes was unable to haul it in, allowing Flores to score and Oro to reach second base safely. Cortez would single, keeping the inning alive until freshman Brittany Vedenoff struck out, ending any hope of putting a rally together.
Over the weekend, the Warriors traveled north to compete in the Santa Barbara tournament. Last season, the women went 4-0 in the tournament before missing the state playoffs. This season, the Warriors went 2-2 at Santa Barbara, beating Santa Ana (3-0) and Rio Hondo (7-0) before losing to host Santa Barbara (17-5) and Saddleback (6-1 in 8 innings).
“We did very well (at Santa Barbara). I was very pleased with how we played,” Calderon said. “We just fell apart against Santa Barbara.”
