In a game where several El Camino College Warriors were hit by pitches, it was the Saddleback College Bobcats who suffered the most damaging blow.
From the bottom of the second inning through the eighth inning, Warriors were hit by nine pitches while at bat.
Center fielder Jack Nammack was hit three times, and second baseman Aden Laureano was hit twice.
However, the hardest hit came at the bottom of the fifth inning, when Bobcats catcher Rodrigo Barajas was hit in the groin by a ball.
The game was paused for several minutes as Barajas, visibly in pain, was helped off the field to supportive clapping from the crowd.
The Warriors opened the scoring in the second inning, with designated hitter Dylan Mares and Laureano getting on the scoreboard, and continued to score.
The Warriors continued to apply pressure and beat the Bobcats, 11-6, in Game 1 of the 3C2A Regional Playoffs first round on Friday, May 2, at Warrior Field.
“It was a great team win today, and it was mostly everyone in the lineup contributing,” Laureano said. “While on defense, everyone did their job, and the lineup was really just passing it to the next guy. If we can all rely on each other, then it’s a great team win.”
The Bobcats scored in the top of the fourth inning, but the Warriors responded with another score from Laureano and three RBIs from right fielder Matt Hammond.
“You’ve got to come ready to play, and it feels good to get Game 1,” Warriors coach Grant Palmer said. “Honestly, we stayed, holding our ground. We didn’t dodge. We held our ground and got a bunch of bases out of it, so I’m proud of our guys for holding their ground and we showed some toughness.”
The Bobcats tried four different pitchers but couldn’t find consistency in pitching.
“It was the pitching. We’ve got to do better tomorrow or we’re done,” Bobcats coach Sommer McCartney said after the game.
The Warriors are on an eight-game winning streak. The team’s last loss was to the Pasadena City College Lancers, falling 12-7, on April 8, at Brookside Park’s Jackie Robinson Field in Pasadena.
“I think our season’s going pretty good. It’s far from over. We still got a lot of games to prove,” Warriors first baseman Gil Solis said.
Warriors pitcher Cameron O’Neil faced 33 batters, throwing 110 pitches—66 strikes—before being relieved in the top of the eighth inning.
“We did a great job today. We’re back in the zone,” O’Neil said after the game. “[The Bobcats] had their swings; they got their runs, but we did a great job … in getting ahead early.”
The Warriors and Bobcats will face off again in Game 2 of the series on Saturday, May 3, at 11 a.m. at Warrior Field. Game 3, if necessary, will follow at 2 p.m.
