Baseball defeats Foothill in a comeback game

By Emma Gonosey

Executive Sports Editor

Baseball won 4-3 in an extremely close game against Foothill on Thursday at Costa. In their first round CIF game, the Mustangs came back in the sixth inning after being down 2 runs for most of the game.

“I think overall, it was a great team win,” said junior Addison Lee. “We didn’t get off to the strongest start, but we came together when it mattered.” 

According to Lee, the team’s offense in the sixth inning is what helped them to come out of top. With big hits from players junior Connor Meidroth and junior Ben Gneiser, the Mustangs survived another round of CIF.

“I think strong offense led to our runs,” said junior David Chase. “And offense definitely wins games.” 

Besides their offensive plays, the team’s defense was necessary to their win. With senior pitchers Andrew Heistand and Thatcher Hurd, the Mustangs were able to keep the Knights from scoring too much, allowing only three runs throughout the entire game.

“We were worried when [the batters] started to pick up on our pitchers,” Chase said. “But they battled back like they always do and helped us win.”

The Mustangs got off to a strong start, leading the game 1-0 after the first inning. The Knights scored one run in the second inning, though, leaving the game tied 1-1 going into the third inning. 

“[We] felt pretty confident,” Lee said. “Their pitcher was good, and I thought that our second time through the batting order we’d be able to figure him out.”

The Knights continued to score while the Mustangs trailed closely behind. Going into the top of the sixth inning, the Knights had scored 2 more runs, putting the score at 3-1, with the Knights on top.

“I felt nervous for the seniors,” Chase said. “We were all worried that their season would be over, but we couldn’t give up hope.”

According to Lee, the Mustangs were worried, but knew they had more fight in them. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mustangs battled back and scored three runs, putting them in the lead with a score of 4-3. In the top of the seventh, Hurd was able to hold off the Knights, leading the Mustangs to victory.

“I felt empowered,” Lee said. “I felt more than happy that we beat the team that talked down to us. It was satisfying to make them eat their words.”

After winning their game, the Mustangs will move onto round two of CIF. Their next game will take place on Tuesday, June 8 at 6:00 at Heart Park, Orange County, where they will face Orange Lutheran. According to Lee, they are hopeful, and will do what it takes to win.

“We’re hoping to take it one round at a time,” Lee said. “We got a tough draw in the bracket, but we’re on a good streak right now, and I’m hopeful for the rest of CIF.”