In a season that has not gone as planned, there is not going to be any quit in the Lowry High School baseball team, as it plays its final nine games.
With a pair of players out due to injuries, the Buckaroos dropped their eighth game in a row after getting swept by South Tahoe this past weekend in Winnemucca. Lowry had to bring up a two junior varsity players to fill the spots.
The Vikings won the opener 3-1 on Friday and swept a doubleheader 14-4 and 15-8. Lowry is now 3-12 in the Northern 3A and 3-15 overall, Despite the recent struggles, head coach Ron Espinola said the Buckaroos will trek on and finish the season on the best possible high note.
“We need to play as hard as we can, because you are not going to get those opportunities back,” said LHS coach Ron Espinola. “We have to push and play as hard as we can. You know there are going to be mistakes. We have to have the mindset of taking it to the other team instead of waiting for something to happen. That is on the coaches. We are suppose to prepare them to play and be successful. We are obviously not making the right decisions. The end result is the kids are playing the game, but we get them ready. If they are not playing well, we are not doing our job.”
Vikings win pitching dual
If you blinked for a short amount of time on Friday afternoon, you might have missed the game. Both squads played a crisp contest that lasted about 90 minutes. Both pitchers were dominant, as scoring came at a premium.
South Tahoe grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on the strength of back-to-back doubles. The Vikings increased the advantage to 2-0 in the fifth inning after a single and triple.
Lowry cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth inning, after three consecutive hits. A double by Ridge Ricketts plated Riley Sakurada for the Buckaroos’ lone run. South Tahoe added a single run in the sixth inning on an unearned run after an error.
Seven different players had a hit for Lowry, who left four runners on base.
Kyle Young went the six innings on the mound for Lowry and was tagged with the loss. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits.
“It was probably our most complete game of the year,” Espinola said. “Kyle had another good outing and a tough luck 3-1 loss yet again for him. We played good defense, ran the bases well but just could not hit. Their kid (pitcher) did it to us last year and did it to us again this year. He is not going to overpower you. He keeps you off balance. At the same time, we have to expect more from us.”
South Tahoe gets past Lowry
South Tahoe jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first game on Saturday and did not trail in the contest. Lowry cut the gap to 5-1 in the third inning when Brendan Domire grounded out to score Nico Espinola.
The Vikings added four more runs in the fourth inning and increased the lead to 11-1 in the sixth inning. The Buckaroos countered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning after back-to-back triples by Young and Roberto Rodriguez.
“It is the simple, simple, simple things at the beginning of games that we don’t do that just kill us,” Espinola said. “We are making the game much more difficult than it should be. It is already a difficult game, but when you don’t do the simple stuff it’s going to be an impossible game.”
Domire and Young had two hits apiece, as Lowry had seven as a team. Josiah Chapman, Rodriguez and Espinola had one hit each.
Ren Mattson suffered the loss in five innings of work on the mound. He allowed 10 runs (six earned) on 12 hits. He walked three and struck out two. Darrin Nelson, Chapman and Sakurada saw time in relief.
Vikings complete sweep
South gained the early advantage once again, leading 3-0 after the top of the second inning. However, the Buckaroos kept within striking distance with two runs in the bottom of the second. Michael Rangel led off with a walk and scored on a double by Jake Marriott. Marriott came around to score on a ground out by Tazmin Milton.
After South Tahoe added a single run in the third inning, Lowry tied the game in the bottom of the third. Espinola was hit by a pitch to start the frame and advanced to third base on a passed ball and ground out. He scored on a single by Young and Marriott tied the game at 4-4 on a single that plated Young.
The Vikings broke the game open with four runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings and two more in the sixth to lead 14-4.
Sakurada prevented the game from ending on the 10-run rule on a single that scored Milton. Young added a two-RBI triple in the seventh inning, but Lowry could not complete the comeback. Young was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Anthony Good and Marriott each had two hits.
Milton started for Lowry and suffered the loss. He allowed eight runs (three earned) on 10 hits. He struck out one and walked one.
Lowry will look to keep its playoff chances alive this weekend at home against Churchill County, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. The two squads play a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m.
The Buckaroos are currently seventh in the league. Churchill County is fifth at 8-5.
“We are going to keep playing and not going to quit,” Espinola. “The only game we are looking at is Friday’s game against Fallon.”
