After a first-round playoff win against Trinity High School, the Winters High School varsity baseball club headed up to Colusa High School for Round 2 on Tuesday, May 16. While just a playoff game on paper, the Warriors were looking forward to the grudge match from last year’s section championship loss to the RedHawks.
Although the game had a slow start, with a scoreless first inning, the RedHawks quickly put up six runs while holding the Warriors at zero.
Jordan Calvert had an uncharacteristic outing on the mound that included nine walks, two strikeouts and eight earned runs.
Luis Lara and Miles Mariani also stepped in to pitch for Winters but struggled to quell Colusa’s offense.
Defensively, Derick Olson, Justice Madsen, Jake Woods, Julian Leon, AJ Pignataro and Anthony Duran vied to keep the RedHawks at bay, but errors and walks would only add to the adversity the Warriors were already facing.
The Warriors struggled offensively, putting up only two hits by Leon and Duran, and a stolen base by Isaiah Pazmino.
The RedHawks scored four more runs in the third inning and another six in the fourth while holding the Warriors to zero.
“The few negatives that were reoccurring throughout the year kind of reared their ugly heads in this game. The combination of free passes and not taking advantage of opportunities is what it was. A team like Colusa is really good, and in order beat a team like that, you have to be really good along with some plays going your way,” said head coach, Austin Calvert. “Unfortunately, we weren’t the best version of ourselves in that game, had some costly errors, and didn’t execute at the plate with only two hits. So, when you combine those things against a really good team, the result we got is what you’re going to get.”
The Warriors were unable to overcome the adversity. The game was 16–0 and ended via the mercy rule in the fifth.
“It’s unfortunate, but the guys fought their hearts out this year to get to that point and nothing can take that away from them. It was still a successful season, it just didn’t end where we wanted to be. I think the positive that will come out of this is we have a strong and large junior class that will use this as motivation throughout the summer and into next year and will really realize what the cost of not embracing your full potential is,” said Calvert. “ It’s a lesson learned the hard way, but sometimes that’s the best way to learn them. I hope they can take this and use it to hold themselves and everyone around them accountable for only achieving their best because that’s what it’s going to take to win a section championship next year.”
