On Monday, Mar. 11, the Archie Williams varsity baseball team faced off against the Marin Catholic High School Wildcats on the Falcon’s home diamond. Despite the Falcons’ strong defensive performance, Archie William could not triumph over the Wildcats, falling just short 2-3. Senior Sam Black pitched six innings ending with 11 strikeouts.
“You couldn’t have asked more from Sam Black. The kid poured his heart and soul out there on the mound, and it showed. Seven innings, a complete game with 108 pitches, 11 strikeouts, two walks, and zero earned runs, he was lights out, and as a coach, I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said head coach Tyler Weeks.
In the first inning, the Falcons earned three walks and a hit-by-pitch to get their first run. With bases loaded, junior Henry Hanavan hit a sacrifice flyout to put the Falcons up 2-0 early.
“Being able to get on base and score early on in the game was probably what helped us the most. Getting those runs early on put some pressure on them,” Sam said.
In the second inning, Marin Catholic got an early hit, and a costly overthrow by the Falcons allowed the Wildcats to cut the Falcons’ lead 2-1. Sam supported the Falcons through the inning with two quick strikeouts, but Archie Williams remained unable to produce any runs in the bottom of the second.
The top of the third started with sophomore Jake Barnes landing a diving catch on a pop-fly to right center. The Wildcats were unable to puncture the Falcons’ solid defense, but Archie Williams’ offense failed to rack up any runs as well.
The Wildcats secured three hits to get the bases loaded to begin the fourth inning and then squeezed in a walk to equalize the game at 2-2. The Falcons continued to struggle, with another defensive error driving in another run. The Falcons managed to get a quick two outs, but could not get the bats going in the bottom of the fourth, maintaining the score 2-3.
“We need to clean up our defense, especially when Sam is pitching the way he did today, and also we need to be able to hit when the opportunities we have are given to us,” said junior Jack Evans.
In the sixth inning, Sam displayed his pitching ability with two strikeouts and a flyout to end the Wildcat’s offense. However, the Falcons could not capitalize on their offense, going into the final inning 2-3.
“I was frustrated, but I know [my teammates] got my back. I just focus on my game, and sometimes that anger helps me out, helps me perform better,” Sam said.
Sam managed another two quick strikeouts for the Falcons, preventing the Wildcats from growing their lead. Archie Williams managed to get a walk but could not produce any more offensive success, ending the game with a result of 2-3.
“I think the obvious one for this game was not being able to throw the ball accurately when needing to make plays. We simply field and throw the ball better and the outcome of that game is different,” Weeks said.
The Falcons varsity baseball team moves to 2-2 in the league and hopes to bounce back for their next MCAL game on March 19, where they will meet the Terra Linda High School Trojans at their home diamond.
