Pintos fall short in pitchers’ dual

Amid a four-game losing streak, California has had the misfortune of running up against some tough pitchers. That was the case again on Friday night, April 22, when Versailles’ Brendan Owsley completely stifled the Pintos to give the Tigers a 2-1 win.

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After scoring a run off Owsley in the first inning through singles by Kory Stephens and Jacob Wolken, the Pintos only managed three hits in the game’s remaining six innings. While Cade Knipp turned in a fantastic outing for California on the mound, two unearned Versailles runs were enough to sink the Pintos to an 8-9 record.

“It’s very disappointing,” said California head coach Matt Moulder. “I thought we did some things well, I thought Cade pitched a nice game, we just didn’t do some little things and they came back to haunt us. When you’re playing in tight ballgames against quality players, you can’t give them free stuff.”

Situational miscues by California helped the Tigers (11-2) scratch out the only two runs they’d need on Friday. The first came with two outs in the first inning when a Versailles’s Taylor Dobbins scored from second base on an error within the infield.

The second came in the fourth inning when miscommunication in the outfield put runners in scoring position with no outs. While one run would end up crossing the plate, the Pintos were lucky to stop the damage there thanks to a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

“That was the biggest win of our season so far,” said Versialles head coach Broc Silvers. “California is a good ball club and it was good for our guys to come out and get a win.”

The Tigers had no choice but to try and manufacture runs in large part because Knipp was so rock solid for the Pintos. The sophomore went all seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out four.

While errors hurt California in this one, perhaps the biggest reason for Versailles’s success was because its defense didn’t have to make nearly as many plays in the field. In his complete game win, Owsley tallied nine strikeouts while walking none. Only throwing 72 total pitches, Owsley’s arm remained fresh throughout, as he struck out the side to end the ballgame.

“(Brendan) was grooving, he was throwing well,” Silvers said. “He’s a great pitcher for us and when he struck out the side in the seventh inning, that was huge. When you got a guy that can do that, that really helps out your ball club.”

Just like Versailles had to grind out both of its runs, California was forced to follow suit when it had an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth inning. After Landon Mouse belted a double to begin the inning, Hunter Heimericks’s deep fly ball to center field with one away set the stage for what would be the biggest defensive play of the game.

After the ball was caught for the second out, Mouse darted off second base, rounded third and headed for home in an effort to tie the game late. In a bang-bang play, the Tigers got the throw to the plate in time, and Mouse was called out as he tried to barrel into home.

With its regular season now heading into the home stretch, California will continue to tinker with lineups and combinations as it tries to right the ship before district play. Though Moulder doesn’t deny that the Pintos have seen their share of quality arms of late, he admits that it’s part of the game.

“It seems like everybody we’re facing is throwing their best kid and their best kid is throwing really well,” Moulder said. “We’ve got some guys that are fighting it a bit. We’ve tried to do some fun things in practice and get them to relax and loosen up and cut it loose. Some guys are jelling, some aren’t there yet. We just have to keep grinding, keep putting in the work and trust that that work will pay dividends down the line.”