Baseball team honors Pearson

By Kathryn Cross
Staff Writer

The Mira Costa baseball team played in the Pearson Memorial Game on March 24 to commemorate the death of Mira Costa varsity baseball alumni Henry Pearson in 2009.
The annual Pearson Memorial Game is more akin to a tournament, and it is composed of several non-league games against El Segundo High School. Pearson, who passed away in 2009 after a drunk driver crashed in to the car carrying Pearson and three of his friends, was on the Mira Costa varsity baseball team for all four of his years at Costa and graduated as team captain. Pearson was 25 years old and was attending Arizona State University at the time of his death. Areta Pearson, Henry Pearson’s mother, threw the first pitch of the event.
“I felt that having the game commemorate a player gave the team more passion for sure,” senior pitcher Adam Reinart said. “We need to know that those who have passed will never be forgotten and will always be an influence on the team.”
According to Reinart, the most exciting part of the Henry Pearson Memorial Game was when the score was 1-1 during the first game, but Mira Costa ensured its victory by scoring three runs late in the game.
“El Segundo has a really talented team, and our team did a great job of coming back in the first game,” junior baseball player Trevor Franklin said.
El Segundo won the second game, 5-2. During the game, El Segundo starting pitcher Alberto Garcia threw over 100 pitches.
“The games went well overall, but we felt like we could’ve played better in the second game,” senior outfielder Luke McCaughley said.
According to Franklin, the baseball team can learn from the Pearson Memorial Game as players and people as well.
“We also have to remember one of the greatest Mira Costa baseball players in our school’s history and honor his family and friends,” Franklin said. “It was an extremely humbling experience for our team.”