TROJANS TOP CABRILLO FOR FIRST LEAGUE WIN
March 12, 2010
Skyline (8-8, 1-4) won its first conference game of the season, and did so convincingly, with a 12-3 win over Cabrillo College (4-10, 1-4) Thursday at Skyline College Field.
The Trojans rode a three-run first to lead throughout. In just his second start of the year, second baseman John Bordy went 4 or 4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore three-hitter Cody Larson added a 3-for-5 performance, including a solo homerun in the eighth inning, his second of the season.
Freshman right-hander Bob Hurst made his first collegiate start, tabbing the win to even his record at 1-1. Hurst worked six innings, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out six against three walks and one hit batsman. Jeff Clegg closed it out, working three innings to earn his second save. The right-hander faced one over the minimum, walking one and hitting one batsman. Cabrillo starter Chris Diana worked five innings to take the loss, his record falling to 1-3.
In the first, Skyline got on the board with three consecutive two-out doubles by Grant Nelson, Devin Kelly, and Adam Perez, to take a 3-0 lead. Hurst got touched for single runs in each the second and third to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Trojans offense soon gave him more of a cushion.
In the fourth, the Trojans started another two-out rally when Kevin McAlindon doubled to right. Bordy followed with an RBI single, and advanced to third on a Lucas Hagberg double. Two-hitter Will Klein then plated them both with a single over the shortstop, upping the lead to 6-2.
Cabrillo added a run in the sixth on sophomore right fielder Garrek Kersten’s first homerun of the year.
In the seventh, Skyline erupted for five runs against the Cabrillo bullpen, with consecutive singles to start the inning by Larson, Nelson, and Kelly. Perez, Adam Costello, and McAlindon followed by each drawing RBI walks. Bordy followed with an RBI single, and Hagberg recorded the first out of the inning with a sacrifice fly to right. In the eighth, Larson added a solo bomb to deep left field to cap the day’s scoring.
The win snaps Skyline’s four-game losing streak, its longest since 2009 when the Trojans lost five straight between Jan. 29 and Feb. 7.
TROJANS DROP HOME GAME TO WEST VALLEY
March 5, 2010
The home field was not advantageous for the Trojans (7-6, 0-2) last Friday, as they fell to West Valley College 13-2 at Skyline College Field.
The actual playing of the game proved to be something of an adventure. Originally tabbed for March 2 at West Valley College, the game was rescheduled for March 3 at Skyline due to the forecast of an impending storm. Then, play was postponed on March 3 due to rain after just five outs were recorded. Play resumed last Friday amid a 2-2 tie, with two outs in the bottom of the first and Skyline set to bat with the bases loaded. When play resumed, the first pitch from West Valley starter Curtis Camilli proved an ominous foreshadowing of the innings to follow.
Camilli threw a would-be wild pitch behind Skyline hitter Denis O’Connor. As Cody Larson attempted to score from third base, the ball bounded off the backstop and straight to West Valley catcher Andrew Dickerson, who tagged out Larson on a bang-bang slide at the plate.
West Valley (6-4, 1-0) retook the lead in the top of the second on a two-run single by three-hitter Brian Haggett, and would never look back. They added two more runs in the fourth, then taxed the Skyline bullpen for six runs in the seventh, and one more in the eighth.
Trojans lefty Steven Dea took the loss, his record falling to 2-1. Dea worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on 11 hits, striking out four against two walks and a hit batsman.
Skyline scored its only two runs in the first, in the Wednesday portion of the game. Lucas Hagberg led off with a walk, then advanced to third on back-to-back singles by Mark Hoem and Larson. Nick Misa followed with an RBI grounder, which yielded a second run on a West Valley fielding error.
Freshman right-hander Jeff Thomas made his pitching debut for Skyline in the late innings, closing out the game with two innings of work. Thomas allowed one run on four hits, striking out one against one hit batsman.
TROJANS FALL FLAT IN LEAGUE OPENER
March 10, 2010
BOXSCORE
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With Wednesday’s conference opener postponed due to rain, Skyline (7-5, 0-1) opened Coast Conference play at home Thursday with an 8-1 loss to Chabot College (8-2-1, 1-0) at Skyline College Field.
The Trojans tallied just five hits against Chabot pitchers Brandon Plotz and Mike Bothelho. The only Skyline run of the game came in the fourth inning. After Mark Hoem doubled, three-hitter Cody Larson drove him home with a line-drive single to right field. Otherwise, Skyline was held at bay, hitting into four double plays in the game, including a game-ending 1-4-3 deuce off the bat of freshman Jeff Thomas.
Mike Olmstead took the loss for Skyline, working just 2 1/3 innings. The right-hander surrendered two runs on six hits, striking out two against two walks. Skyline used four pitchers in relief: Bob Hurst, Jeff Clegg, Chris Broadway, and Tony Ricci.
Every Chabot batter reached base at least once, as they scored single runs in the second, third, fourth, and eighth, and posting two-spots in the seventh and ninth. Three-hitter Chipper Lemmo highlighted Chabot’s offensive output with a 4-for-5 game.
Hoem was Skyline’s top hitter, going 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles. He got robbed of another double in the first inning on a terrific diving catch by Chabot centerfielder Drew Helenihi, which turned into a double play at first base as base-runner Lucas Hagberg had already rounded second on a hit-and-run.
Hagberg turned in a pair of defensive gems of his own, twice throwing out a Chabot base runner at home plate, once in the first inning, and again in the second.
Wednesday’s rain postponement against West Valley College is scheduled to resume at Skyline College Field, Friday, March 5 at 1 p.m. Play was stopped with a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the first inning.
TROJANS TAKE TWO OF THREE FROM MENDOCINO
BOXSCORE GAME 1
BOXSCORE GAME 2
The Trojans (7-4) got geared up for Tuesday’s conference opener by winning a three-game series last week against Mendocino College (5-4) at Skyline College Field. After dropping the Thursday afternoon series opener 15-8, Skyline stormed back to sweep a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 3-1 and 10-5.
Skyline’s starting pitching shined in both games Saturday, after struggling through most of non-conference play. Sophomore right-hander Ben Ruder persevered inconsistent weather to earn a complete-game win in Game 1, improving his record to 2-1. Ruder took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and allowed just three hits throughout, striking out eight against two walks and two hit batsmen. In Game 2, freshman right-hander Mike Olmstead threw 146 pitches over 8 1/3 innings to tab the win, upping his record to 2-2. Olmstead allowed 10 hits, though five of those occurred in the eighth and ninth innings. He struck out two against seven walks and three hit batsmen, but recorded 13 outs via groundball.
In the Thursday opener, Mendocino opened a 7-0 lead in the second inning, knocking out Skyline starter Steven Dea after just 1 1/3 innings.
However, the Trojans came back with rallies in the second, fifth, and sixth innings to tie the game. In the second, Kevin McAlindon hit a two-run homer to left to get Skyline on the board. In the fifth, the Trojans loaded the bases on an error and two walks before three-hitter Adam Costello recorded an RBI fielder’s choice, and Grant Nelson ripped an RBI single to cut Medocino’s lead to 7-4. In the sixth, McAlindon and Will Klein led off with back-to-back singles. Two Mendocino errors led to two Skyline runs, while Lucas Hagberg contributed an RBI single amid the game-tying rally.
Mendocino answered back with eight runs over the final two innings, scoring six in the eighth inning, and two runs in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Skyline scored once more on a Hagberg RBI triple. Trojans reliever Jeff Clegg took the loss in 1/3 inning of work to even his record at 1-1.
Saturday, Game 1 of a scheduled doubleheader started 45 minutes late due to inclement weather. The Trojans wasted no time once play began, though, pushing a run across in the first on a Cody Larson sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, six-hitter Devin Kelly doubled home Klein to make it 2-0. In the fifth, two-hitter Mark Hoem drove an opposite-field homer over the left-field wall for his first of the year, giving Skyline a 3-0 edge. Mendocino scored its only run in the sixth, before Ruder set down 10 of the final 12 batters he faced to close it out.
Game 2 saw the Skyline offense erupt for 10 runs in the first five frames. In the first, Kelly highlighted a four-run rally with a two-run homerun, his first of two on the day. After Skyline pushed a run across in the second to up its lead to 5-0, Kelly launched his second homer, also a two-run shot, to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead in the third. IN the fourth, Hoem scored on an error before McAlindon scorched an RBI single to up its lead to 9-1. In the fifth, Sean Rogers scored on a wild pitch to up Skyline’s lead to 10-2. Medoncino added a run in the eighth, and three more in the ninth, before reliever Tony Ricci came in to close it out.
Hagberg paced the offense going 7 for 12 in the series, improving his batting average to .490 (24 for 49) on the season. As a team, Skyline hit .326 through its 11 preliminary non-conference games. Conference play begins Tuesday on the road at West Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
TROJANS SWEEP WEEKEND SERIES
Feb. 21, 2010
BOX SCORE GAME 1
BOX SCORE GAME 2
BOX SCORE GAME 3
The saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a baseball mainstay for a reason, and the Trojans (5-3) showed why with a three-game sweep over the weekend against Shasta College (0-9) at Skyline College Baseball Field. Skyline employed an identical starting lineup in each of the three games to score a total of 45 runs, winning Friday afternoon 18-6, then taking both games of a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 14-5 and 13-2.
Despite posting a lot of crooked numbers, Trojans hitters hit just three homeruns in the series, all of which came in the Friday opener. Lucas Hagberg hammered his second of the year, a second-inning grand slam. Later, Cody Larson pulled a towering two-run shot down the left-field line for his first of the season. And, Devin Kelly lofted a solo shot over the wall in left-center for the first homerun of his collegiate career.
Mike Olmstead recorded the win Friday, improving his record to 1-2. The freshman right-hander yielded six runs on eight hits over six innings of work, striking out seven against two walks and a hit batsman.
Skyline jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when Mark Hoem scored on a wild pitch. In the second, Shasta tallied four times in the top of the frame, but Skyline answered back with a seven-spot. Hagberg’s slam gave the Trojans a 5-4 lead. Later in the inning, cleanup hitter Nick Misa doubled home two and Grant Nelson singled home one run. Hoem’s two-run triple highlighted a four-run third, while in the fourth Hagberg tripled home a run and soon scored on an RBI single by Hoem. In the sixth, Hagberg scored on an error before Larson’s two-run homer. Kelly’s seventh-inning bomb capped the day’s scoring.
Saturday, Ben Ruder earned the win in Game 1. The sophomore right-hander went five innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out nine. He didn’t walk a batter, though he hit three batsmen.
The Trojans scored 11 runs in the opening three innings, posting a five-spot in each the first and third. Two-hit games were recorded by Misa, Kelly, Kevin McAlindon, Dennis O’Connor, and Sean Rogers, while McAlindon paced the team with four RBIs.
In Game 2, left-hander Steven Dea went seven strong to earn the win, upping his record to 2-0. The sophomore allowed one run on five hits, striking out 10 against one walk.
Hagberg was the story in the nightcap, going 5-for-6 with five runs scored. The sophomore leadoff hitter scored in each the first and third innings to give Skyline a 2-0 lead, before the Trojans broke through for eight runs in the fifth. Hagberg led off the inning with a single and scored on a Cody Larson groundout before seven straight Trojans reached base. Skyline tallied three more runs in the seventh, highlighted by a two-RBI double by pinch hitter Adam Costello.
All tolled in the series, Hoem made his case as a two-hitter, reaching base in 11 of his 13 plate appearances. While he did reach base three times by way of fielding errors, he notched five hits and scored seven times. Of the only two outs Hoem made over the weekend, one advanced a runner from second to third, which later scored. The other out was a sacrifice fly.
TROJANS TAKE 3-GAME SERIES FROM NORCAL #1 DELTA COLLEGE
FEB. 16, 2010
BOXSCORE GAME #1
BOXSCORE GAME #2
BOXSCORE GAME #3
Skyline took the first two games of the series in Stockton Ca, from #1 Ranked Delta College. Steven Dea (1-0) got the win in the first game on Thursday pitching 6 solid innings giving up one earned run. Both teams made little mistakes as the Trojans held on to win 6 – 5. In Fridays game Michael Ruder (1-1) pitched 5 strong innings giving up 1 earned run, and Jeff Clegg pitched the last 4 innings giving up no hits to a very power full Delta lineup.
The Trojans dropped the last game of the series, but that did not bother coach Nomicos one bit. “Our goal this weekend was to win two out of three and we did that. Winning the series not only was great because Delta is the number #1 Ranked team in Northern Ca, but this will help Skyline in the long run, especially during seeding time for the state playoffs.” The Trojans host Shasta College on Friday and Saturday for a double header. Fridays game time 2:00, Saturday start time 11:00 am.
SKYLINE FALLS IN CLOSE GAME AT HOME
FEB. 9, 2010
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A seesaw battle through the middle innings saw the Trojans lose their second straight, falling 10-8 to Sierra College, Monday at Skyline College.
Skyline (0-2) scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a brief 4-3 lead, but Sierra (1-0) roared right back in the top of the sixth with a four-spot of its own to retake the lead for keeps, when catcher Michael Quesada lofted a grand slam over the right-field wall.
Freshman right-hander Mike Olmstead took the loss for Skyline, allowing seven runs over six innings of work. In his first collegiate start, Olmstead was effective when he hit his spots, surrendering just four hits while striking out four, though he also allowed seven walks and hit two batsmen.
Olmstead got into trouble in each of the first three innings, but yielded just one run thanks to a double play grounder, and a pair would-be base stealers thrown out by catcher Devin Kelly. Unfortunately, on the offensive side of the ball, Skyline was following suit. The Trojans made outs at second base in each of the first four innings, including three groundball double plays.
In the top of the fifth, a pair of Trojans defensive miscues gave Sierra a 3-0 lead. A wild pitch plated one run, while a botched pickoff play at third plated the second. In the bottom of the fifth, though, the Skyline offense came to life. Five-hitter Mark Hoem led off with a four-pitch walk. Nick Misa followed with a solid single, before Kevin McAlindon walked to load the bases. Nine-hitter Sean Rogers got Skyline on the board with a single to drive home two. Lucas Hagberg followed with a two-run triple to give the Trojans a 4-3 lead.
Sierra traded fours with the grand slam in the sixth, though, then added one run in the seventh, and two in the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, Skyline battled back with three runs, including a two-run double by Kelly, who later scored on an RBI groundout by Misa. The Trojans plated one more in the ninth on a RBI double by Cody Larson, and ended the game with the potential tying runs stranded at second and third.
TROJANS OPEN 2010 SEASON
FEB. 8, 2010
BOXSCORE
While inclement weather subsided, the long ball wrecked opening day as the Trojans (0-1) lost a 15-10 slugfest to Cosumnes River (1-0) Friday at Skyline College.
Cosumnes River leadoff hitter Tyler Tostenson homered on the first pitch of the season to give the Hawks a lead they would never relinquish. Tostenson went deep in each of his first two at bats, while Cosumnes River homered five times in the game. Skyline leadoff hitter Lucas Hagberg answered with a two-run homerun in the bottom of the third to close the Hawks’ lead to 3-2, but it was as close as Skyline would get before Cosumnes River scored nine runs in the fourth to blow the game open.
Skyline starter Ben Ruder took the loss, working 3 1/3 innings and surrendering five earned runs. The sophomore right-hander struck out three, walked two, and hit one batsman. The Trojans used six pitchers in the game. Right-hander Mike Olmstead, who worked a scoreless ninth, was the only one not to surrender a run.
The Trojans scored in each of the final seven innings. In the fourth, designated hitter Nick Misa scorched a two-out double to drive home freshman Devin Kelly. In the fifth, one-out singles by Sean Rogers and Hagberg set the table for an RBI double from two-hitter Mark Hoem and an RBI infield single by Cody Larson. In the sixth, Misa was plunked to lead off the inning and later scored on an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Hagberg. In the seventh, five-hitter Grant Nelson drew a two-out walk and later scored on a wild pitch. In the eighth, shortstop Will Klein led off the frame with a double and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Hoem. In the ninth, Skyline loaded the bases with a leadoff walk by Kelly, a single by Misa, and a walk by pinch hitter Tim Svozik, before Klein drove home two runs with a line-drive single.
Hoem and Misa each had three hits on the day. Kelly turned in an impressive debut as Skyline’s catcher by throwing out two of three attempted steals.
Cosumnes River entered into play ranked No. 10 in Northern California, with Skyline ranked No. 16. The last time the two teams met was last year in the first round of the California Community College Athletic Association Northern Baseball Regional playoffs, when Consumnes River eliminated Skyline in a best-of-three series. |
