The Citrus College Owls clutched a win from the Antelope Valley Marauders on March 3 at Citrus’s home field. As game three in the conference high hopes were present for a win all around the field.
The team was not scoring from the Marauders nor any of the four Citrus batters.
In the second inning Tyler Vargas, number 11, scored the Marauders’, their first run of the game.
With two players already occupying bases, Vargas smacks the ball high and far over the fence for a line drive and brings in three runs for the Marauders.
The first batter, Tyler Kretschmar, number 6, for the Owls hit a grounder that split second base and third base, then rolled into deep outfield.
This big hit allowed Tyler Kretschmar to run three bases and land on third.
Following was a nice hit to the outfield from Kanta Kobayashi, number 8, giving an opening for Kretschmar to score the first of Citrus’ points.
Towards the end of the second inning an impressive hit was made by Brett Bowers, number 33, singled to right field, giving Kobayashi room to make it to home, bringing the total score to 3-5 Citrus.
The third inning saw the lead that Citrus cultivated fall, as the Marauders scored four times this inning, bringing the total score to 7-5 Antelope Valley.
The fourth, fifth and sixth inning were a constant battle for control of the game with no score coming out of them.
These innings were also where pitcher Enrique Zaldivar, number 31, exemplified his powerful throwing skills. Zaldivar racked up a six inning shutout innings, keeping the Marauders right where Citrus wanted them, while also providing a confidence booster to the rest of the team.
At the bottom of the seventh inning, Andrew Duran, number 30, manages to sprint home as a result of the Marauder’s wild pitch. Taiga Hatashima managed to collect another run for the Owls bringing the overall score to a tie at 7 points to 8 points.
The eighth inning was a furious battle of both teams trying to get another win under their belts. One team managed to smack a dinger past and over the fence: Joshua Guzman, number 24.
After the game, Head Coach Steve Gomez was very pleased with the outcome.
“We had a couple of games against them, so we knew they swing the bat pretty well,” said Gomez. “It seemed like they were down in pitching, so we knew we had to pitch well.”
Pitching was part of the pregame plan for the Citrus Owls and it seemed to go according to plan. After the Marauders three run tear in the first and the second inning, the owls took control offensively.
The pitching present for the owls was very apparent, there were three different switches for pitchers through the game. This was to keep the Marauders guessing on which pitch they needed to watch for.
Head Coach Gomez started the game with Kanta Kobayashi, number 8. Kobayashi pitched for about two or three innings before he was switched for Samuel Gomez, number 21.
In baseball communication is a necessity and these players communicated well all game, even through the moments when everything was not going according to plan.
“Today was a tough game, but my teammates helped me, and i really appreciate them,” Kobayashi said.
Head Coach Gomez recognized Enrique Zaldivar, number 31, for the great performance he had in the game, as well as his achievement of a six inning shutout.
“Anytime you have a pitcher that can shut down the offense and he had six shutout innings, it’s definitely Enrique Zaldivar,” said Gomez.
Zaldivar was the MVP this game, with a six inning shutout and constant and consistent pitches coming from the mound throughout the game. Zaldivar is a seasoned and returning player this season, a player who is always trying to perfect his craft.
When pitching at this high volume, so many more factors go into the pitch other than just throwing straight. Zaldivar has to worry about weather, shadows on the field, the batter’s strengths and weaknesses and so much more.
“For me it’s prime, when there are shadows on the field it’s harder to hit the ball,” Zaldivar said. “As a hitter they’re trying to identify the spin on the ball, that way they know what pitch is coming.”
Zaldivar said the game played into his favor.
“I feel like these changing conditions played in my favor, because with the “Slider” all it does is spin,”Zaldivar said.
The “slider” or “snapper” is a pitch utilizing less speed, with more curve when thrown. The reason for using this pitch is the downward lateral movement the ball travels, making it hard to judge if the ball will travel straight like a fast ball, or drop like a “slider”.
Zaldivar keeps the momentum of the game in Owl’s favor is by throwing strikes, or “zeros”, up onto the scoreboard.
The Citrus College baseball program is currently 3-0 in the conference game.
The owls had to keep 100% effort the entire game, or else they would’ve risked taking an “L” for the third game of the series.
