Baseball: Defensive errors dug Rustlers into hole against Saddleback

Huntington Beach, Calif. - Rustler Baseball (6-10) dropped their first game against Saddleback (12-4) 9-6 on Tuesday. 

"Saddleback, with two strikes, made adjustments within at-bats throughout the game. I felt like we didn't do that. We kept looking for one pitch and if we didn't get it, we were gonna be out," Head Coach Ramos said. "The conference is too good to be doing that. They can find your weaknesses, and once they do, they'll try to exploit it until you make an adjustment. Hopefully we can do it on Thursday."

Golden West was not having much luck in the box against Saddleback, who held them to eight hits. Second baseman Steven Casas and center fielder DJ McEvers both had two hits in today's game, all four being singles with no runs batted in. Utility man Jonah Sebring and shortstop Davis Hidlebrandt both knocked balls into play for a triple. 

Down 9-0 in the bottom of the third inning, left fielder Zech Samayoa brought in the first Golden West run of the game after grounding out to first base. The fifth inning looked promising for the Rustlers, but was not enough to force extra innings or a walk-off. A single to center field by catcher Noah Estrem opened the scoring in the fifth as Casas crossed home plate. A sacrifice fly hit by right fielder Sergio Alfaro tacked another run on the board before Hidlebrandt hit a triple that brought in two runners, narrowing Saddleback's lead 9-5. 

With the exception of making three defensive errors in early innings that cost the Rustlers six runs, first baseman Dylan Kordic came up big for the Golden West defense later in the game, defending the bases against a tough Saddleback team.

"We pride ourselves in our versatility – we have a few guys that play multiple spots," Ramos said. "Dylan [Kordic] is the first baseman by trade but has grown into a pretty good right fielder as well, so the versatility is huge for us. It allows us to do different things within the game with our lineup and still be confident our defense." 

Starting pitcher Jason Blood saw three innings, earning three of the nine runs that Saddleback put up, as well as his second loss of the season. One of those runs was a home run ball. Across three innings, Blood walked two batters, struck out two, and allowed nine hits. 

With conference playoffs right around the corner, this squad must reset and play smart baseball for the remainder of the series if they want to have a chance at seeing an extended season. 

"Flush today. Know that once we played catch and didn't make an error for the last six innings we kept them to zero runs," Ramos said. "The bullpen was huge, and if we play catch and don't give teams runs, we will always have a chance to win the game." 

NEXT: The Rustlers will attempt to even the series at 2 p.m. on Thursday as they travel to Saddleback. 

Written By Marissa Lavezzari