The UHS Varsity Baseball team beat Capistrano Valley 2-0 in a game that was cut short after the sixth inning due to rain. This was a solid non-league win for the Trojans as they faced a tough Capistrano Valley team.
The first five innings of the game remained tense for the Trojans who were able to avoid conceding any runs despite allowing the Cougars to load the bases in the first and second inning. Meanwhile, despite the Trojans getting a few runners on base, they were unable to score any runs against Capistrano’s solid pitching.
“I think we played pretty well,” junior Luke Emrich said. “The batting wasn’t all there until the last inning but we fought and kept it a close game.”
While the rain was pouring during the top of the sixth inning, the Trojans were able to come up with a huge defensive play after an error to keep Capistrano Valley scoreless. Following this stop, the Trojans were able to get runners on base and eventually capitalize off of two wild pitches by scoring a run on each of them. The second of these runs came after a nice slide to home by Emrich.
“It felt pretty good being able to score,” Emrich said. “It’s always nice to get the jersey dirty.”
However, after the second run, the game was ended due to slippery conditions from the rain. Senior pitcher Brennan Collins played a vital role in his team’s victory as he got the Trojans all but two of their outs and during his time pitching prevented Capistrano Valley from scoring and completing runs. Collins is also seen as a leader for his team and shared how he supports his teammates during games.
“Everyone is going to mess up in baseball,” Collins said. “So when they mess up, you just got to make sure that they know you have their back no matter what.”
So far this season the Trojans have a 4-3 record with a new coaching staff. The Trojans have been practicing hard all offseason and preseason which has prepared them for the season.
“Every year we always practice ground balls and fundamentals,” senior Andrew Dowd said. “We also do Saturday practices and work extra hard in the bullpens.”
With the Trojans’ ongoing success, the team hopes to further their season into a deep CIF run.
