Andrew Fasano
Staff Writer
Led by sophomore pitcher Jesse Storey, Mira Costa’s baseball team came away with a win in its second game of the Boras Classic Invitational Tournament. The Mustangs defeated Mater Dei, the tournament’s defending champions, 11-3, in an away game on Wednesday.
Storey pitched into the sixth inning, giving up only two runs, while senior second baseman Zack Chan led the offensive with five runs batted in.
“The team played so crisp today,” senior center fielder Reese Alexiades said. “Each player on the team hit the ball well and contributed to get the win. It is an honor to be involved in this tournament, and so far we have really been proving ourselves as a team.”
The Mustangs went down 1-0 in the first inning but took the lead in the second inning with five runs by senior out-fielder Ty Conrad, Alexiades, sophomore Chris Penna, senior third baseman Blake Hammerstein and freshman right fielder Chase Meidroth. The Mustangs cheered each other on throughout the game which helped them get the momentum that they needed to win, senior shortstop Will Proctor said.
“Energy is a huge part of the game,” senior catcher Brett Davis said. “We know that our teammates are behind us, and this helps us.”
In the third inning, Chan hit a double in between center and right field that brought home three more runs to increase the lead to 8-1.
“Zack came up with some big hits when we needed him and really helped to increase our lead,” Proctor said.
Storey started the game, finishing with four strikeouts. He was replaced midway through the bottom of sixth by freshman pitcher Merrick Baldo.
“The whole team played extraordinarily today,” Storey said. “We played great defense the entire game and made the plays that we needed to in order to keep ourselves focused for the rest of the game.”
In the final inning, the Mustangs were able to hold their lead. Baldo allowed only one hit and made the final out of the game when he caught a line drive that was hit right towards him and converted it into a double play.
“I feel like we showed what we can do and played really well,” Baldo said. “Pitching in this crucial of a situation was a blast for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to back me up.”
The game continued the Mustangs’ eight-game winning streak, making their overall record 8-1. The team took on John W. North High School (JW) yesterday, but the results were unavailable at the time of publication. A win against JW would lead the team to the tournament finals today.
“Because we’re the underdog in this tournament, we are playing with a chip on our shoulder and will continue to bring energy and passion,” senior pitcher Trevor Franklin said.
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