On Friday, March 3, Archie Williams Varsity baseball faced off against Tamalpais High School at Archie Williams. The Hawks came into the game with a 1-3 record, while the Falcons were hoping for their first win after starting out 0-2. Earlier in the week on Wednesday, the Falcons lost to the Hawks 0-16.

In the first inning, junior pitcher Peter Irwin walked two Hawks hitters early, but he found his control and ended the inning with a strikeout. In the bottom of the first inning, junior left fielder Hudson Lofrano blooped a single into right field, bringing in junior designated hitter Max Lefferts from third, making the score 1-0.

In the second inning, the Falcon’s defense struggled. The Hawks got their first runs after a walk, a hit by pitch and a double by the Hawks starting pitcher Eli Solem. Irwin seemed to settle down as he struck out the next batter he faced.

Following the strikeout, Irwin forced the next Hawk batter to hit a grounder to junior shortstop Sam Black, but Black made an error and a run scored. The Hawks plated a third runner, but Irwin recovered with another strikeout to get out of the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Solem shut the Falcons down, keeping the score at 1-3.

The third inning started with a bang, as Solem lifted a two run homer over the left field wall.

 “I knew I left it up. So I knew, I knew he was going to hit it but, you know, things like that happen,” said Irwin. Solem’s home run didn’t affect the energy of the Falcons, simply because of where it was hit.

 ”That was an Archie Williams home run [referring to the short left field at Archie Williams].That was not a home run anywhere else, and it was one that Peter should not be mad at,” senior center fielder Charlie Scola said. 

After Solem’s home run, Black replaced Irwin on the mound. The Hawks also made a pitching change when Kaiden Dossa came in for Solem. Neither team scored until the fifth inning, when Lofrano drove in junior Lucas Winter. Lefferts added another run to the scoreboard which brought the Falcons back into the game to make the score 3-5.

With the score 3-5 going into the seventh inning, Black allowed a walk and a hit. With runners on second and third base, the Hawks rolled the dice with a suicide squeeze bunt, and it worked. The runners on both second and third base crossed home plate, and the Hawks increased their lead. 

With the game at 3-7, Dossa retired the Falcons in order. Lefferts lined out, junior right fielder Jackson Oliver-Roa struck out, and Scola grounded out to end the game. The loss dropped the Falcon’s season record to 0-3.

“I’ve been telling the kids all year, we’re either winning or we’re learning, so today we learned,” head coach Taber Watson said.

The Falcons have been struggling with their offensive production, but they showed progress with a focus of contact against the Hawks. 

“I was really late to the ball 24/7 before this game, and then I went to a smaller bat and it definitely helped me out in getting a couple hits today,” Lofrano said.

The Falcons played again on Saturday, March 4 against George Washington High School. Archie Williams walked away with a 3-1 win. Their next game will be at Novato High School against the Hornets, on March 7.