The clouds loomed over the baseball field and the wind steadily blew the American flag.

The Warriors and the Huskies quietly faced the stars and stripes for the national anthem and prepared for the final game of the season.

The El Camino baseball team hosted the East Los Angeles Huskies on Friday for the final game in the regular season. The Warriors defeated East L.A. 9-6 for a final victory that keeps them in the race for the playoffs.

The offense showed its strength early in the game against the Huskies with a solo home run from its first batter, sophomore left-fielder Alex Turner for a 1-0 lead.

It then blew up for EC in the bottom of the second inning with four runs earned on two singles, a walk, and a batter hit by a pitch that gave the Warriors a 5-0 lead.

Freshman first baseman Jake Sahagian described the big second inning as a major turning point in the game.

“The four runs we scored in the second inning (were) big for us,” Sahagian said.

The Warriors defense saw some trouble in the third inning as the Huskies earned four runs that brought them close to an equalizer at 5-4.

EC’s offense did not sit by and allow this close score. The Warriors came back and earned three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning which increased their lead to 8-4.

Sophomore catcher Joey Notch described this three-run retort as a sign of his team’s strength and a big point in the game.

“They scored four runs in the third inning,” Notch said, “but we came back and scored three runs in the fourth inning to put an end to their misery.”

After two scoreless innings, both teams revived their offense a bit with two runs scored in the top of the seventh inning by the Huskies. A Warrior run in the bottom of the seventh inning made it 9-6.

The defense on both teams kept each other from scoring and closed the game off at 9-6.

Coach Nate Fernley said that his team played well in many different aspects.

“We took good at-bats, and we got runs on board,” Fernley said. “And we also pitched really well.”

“Those three runs we scored in the fourth inning provided a good cushion for us,” Fernley added. “We threw strikes and played really good defense.”

Notch also said that he and his team played a pretty well-rounded game.

“We did everything pretty well,” Notch said. “We got on them early and they got some hits. But we threw strikes all day. They just hit some of them unfortunately.”

The Warriors had a very strong day at the plate. They recorded ten hits against the Huskies. The biggest hitters on the day were Turner, sophomore second baseman Joseph Cortez, Notch, and freshman designated hitter Angel Mora with two apiece.

EC’s record improved to 24-12, and its conference record improved to 12-9. With the regular season over, the Warriors now must wait to find out if they will continue on to the playoffs that start on May 1.