Nick Ferenczy before a turn at bat.
(Photo by Ed Piper, Jr.)
By Ed Piper, Jr.
By Ed Piper, Jr.
La Jolla's bats failed the Vikings again, as Otay Ranch stifled the visitors, mired at a .215 batting average for the season. Coach Gary Frank's traveling squad went down to a 3-0 decision Thurs., March 30.
With La Jolla down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, keeping the Mustangs within range for the Vikings' final at-bat was imperative.
When Viking starter Nick Hammel walked Otay Ranch's Omar Lopez to lead off the inning, Frank pulled him after 82 pitches and inserted left-hander Aidan Suljic.
Suljic, alternately hitting the corners and struggling with his location, wild-pitched Lopez to second. He then walked Matt Brumbaugh.
When the next Otay Ranch batter, Felix Canizalez, bunted toward third base, Suljic came down the mound and deftly fielded the ball. He wheeled and fired to Nick Ferenczy at third. On a close play, Lopez was called safe. Even on Frank's appeal, it was ruled the Mustang runner beat the throw.
That left the bases loaded, no outs. The next batter, Noel Perez, hit the ball back to Viking first baseman Dane Hansen. He made a good throw to catcher Garrett Brown for the out at the plate. One out. No damage done.
Things appeared good for La Jolla when Suljic struck out Noah Isley, in the one slot, looking. If the call at third had gone the other way, the lefty would have been out of the inning.
But then he plugged Justin Legaspi, a defensive replacement in right field in the top of the sixth, in the back with a pitch, forcing a run in. The Vikings only trailed 2-0, but they hadn't solved starter Alex Artalejo and reliever Lopez for the first six innings for more than a few hits.
Mustang Osvaldo "Wally" Tovalin followed with a single to right, scoring another run. Angst was felt in the tense visitors dugout. Then an unusual call occurred: The next batter for Otay Ranch, Miguel Artalejo, the starting pitcher's twin brother, was hit in the left shoulder by a Suljic pitch. But the plate umpire ruled that he leaned into the pitch, and he wasn't awarded first base. Aidan then caused him to pop out to short to end the inning.
The Vikings weren't able to mount any attack against Lopez, a righty, in the top of the seventh, going down to the 3-0 defeat.
When Viking starter Nick Hammel walked Otay Ranch's Omar Lopez to lead off the inning, Frank pulled him after 82 pitches and inserted left-hander Aidan Suljic.
Suljic, alternately hitting the corners and struggling with his location, wild-pitched Lopez to second. He then walked Matt Brumbaugh.
When the next Otay Ranch batter, Felix Canizalez, bunted toward third base, Suljic came down the mound and deftly fielded the ball. He wheeled and fired to Nick Ferenczy at third. On a close play, Lopez was called safe. Even on Frank's appeal, it was ruled the Mustang runner beat the throw.
That left the bases loaded, no outs. The next batter, Noel Perez, hit the ball back to Viking first baseman Dane Hansen. He made a good throw to catcher Garrett Brown for the out at the plate. One out. No damage done.
Things appeared good for La Jolla when Suljic struck out Noah Isley, in the one slot, looking. If the call at third had gone the other way, the lefty would have been out of the inning.
But then he plugged Justin Legaspi, a defensive replacement in right field in the top of the sixth, in the back with a pitch, forcing a run in. The Vikings only trailed 2-0, but they hadn't solved starter Alex Artalejo and reliever Lopez for the first six innings for more than a few hits.
Mustang Osvaldo "Wally" Tovalin followed with a single to right, scoring another run. Angst was felt in the tense visitors dugout. Then an unusual call occurred: The next batter for Otay Ranch, Miguel Artalejo, the starting pitcher's twin brother, was hit in the left shoulder by a Suljic pitch. But the plate umpire ruled that he leaned into the pitch, and he wasn't awarded first base. Aidan then caused him to pop out to short to end the inning.
The Vikings weren't able to mount any attack against Lopez, a righty, in the top of the seventh, going down to the 3-0 defeat.
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