Baseball: Team crushes undefeated Wildcats

The Falcons are picking up momentum for league playoffs and CCS. The team is currently tied for fourth place with the Homestead Mustangs in the De Anza League and has an overall record of 15-7.

The team recently lost 3-1 in a close game against powerhouse San Benito High School. San Benito scored back-to-back home runs and a run in the fourth inning, gaining a 3-0 lead against the Falcons. The Falcons managed to score one run in the seventh inning, but were unable to score again. 

On April 23, the Falcons won a non-conference game against Washington High School, 10-6. Junior starting pitcher Joey Medeiros had an inauspicious start to the game, surrendering four runs before regaining his form and pitching five strong innings.

The Falcons rallied in the second inning with three runs and continued to score every inning for the next five innings. Senior Eric Ferguson came in to pitch the last two innings to shut down the opposing offense.

“Eric really came in big, throwing strikes out of the bull pen,” senior pitcher Tyler Plesse said. “It is big for our team for him to be able to come in and pound the zone like that.”

The team also beat Overfelt High School 9-7 in a non-league game on April 22.

On April 16, the Falcons faced their biggest league rival, Los Gatos. The highly anticipated home game started off slowly, with both teams tied at 1-1 by the end of the second inning. The Wildcats scored on an error in the top of the second, but senior Davis Berryhill quickly answered with a home run in the bottom of the second. The Falcons finished the game with strong defense and consistent pitching by Medeiros and Ferguson, winning 6-1.

“Knocking off Los Gatos is a huge accomplishment,” Plesse said. “They’re a big rival and hopefully it will put us on a roll heading into the playoffs.”

The teams met again at the Los Gatos field on April 18. After the opposing pitcher retired senior outfielder Jacob Marr, who was the Falcon’s leadoff hitter, senior catcher Derek Sun hit a double down the left field line and scored on a base hit up the middle by senior infielder Thomas Alexander. The Falcons continued to stay in a 2-1 lead. However, during the fifth inning, the Wildcats came back to score four runs, and won the game 5-3.

“Even though we split with Los Gatos, the team went out and played with energy at both games,” junior infielder Evan Lindeman said. “We are definitely looking forward to potentially facing them again in playoffs.”

The Falcons were scheduled to square off against the Wildcats on more time in league playoffs on May 6, but The Falcon was unable to cover the event in the print edition because of publishing schedules.