After getting off to a slow start, varsity baseball defeated Monterey High School 9-6 in its second game of the season on March 3.
Senior and co-captain Isaiah Walker said the game was rough at first, but the team was able to turn their performance around.
“While we did not start out on the right foot, we ended great through the team’s good effort and hard work,” Walker said. “It always feels good to come out with a win to help us stay motivated to play even better the next game.”
Senior infielder and outfielder Dexter Cleveringa agreed and said the team did a good job of increasing runs toward the end.
“The game probably should not have been as close as it was, but I think we were pretty strong, especially in the later innings,” Cleveringa said. “Last year, we struggled with putting up runs late in the game, so it was definitely nice to see improvement in that area.
Cleveringa also said that pitching was key to the win.
“I’m very happy with the performances we’ve been getting out of the pitchers, especially Jackson Ehrlich tonight,” Cleveringa said.
Despite the win, Walker said the team can always improve by making small adjustments.
“We got to get back to the drawing boards, as even though we did good, there’s always room to improve,” Walker said. “As a team, I think we just got to get ahead of batters more as it would allow us to start strong. For me, I want to just get behind this team and be able to help the guys.”
As the team looks ahead, Cleveringa said he thinks keeping up their intensity and staying sharp on the basics will be key to a successful season.
Cleveringa said, “I think that if we can keep that energy and momentum going forward while also executing the fundamentals, we should be successful in the upcoming games and will be geared up to have a great season ahead of us.”