The Porterville College baseball team played the Merced Blue Devils on Tuesday. The Pirates showed how much they have grown by preventing the Blue Devils from scoring in six of nine innings. But Merced won 18-3. With a crosswind blowing the teams started their match.
Kuhron Patrick of the Pirates took the pitching mound to start and gave a strong performance to start the game.
Patrick continued to wear down the Blue Devils with fast pitches in the first inning.
The Pirates faced a tough pitcher and despite solid contact from CJ Fish, Luca Dincola and Chris Ortega, the first inning ended scoreless.
The second inning was much the same with Patrick now pitching for the Pirates. Patrick kept the Blue Devils from getting hits with a smart pitch.
Devin Gomez took the bat for the Pirates first in the second inning. And with a well-controlled, timed swing, Gomez landed a solid drive down the center and reached first. JT Edmunds sacrificed Gomez in second but PC failed to score.
Round three was the Pirates’ first big mistake. Merced then scored seven points to take a 7-0 lead.
Fish chose the Pirates but got stuck.
Seth Correa came on for the Pirates and with a double play the Pirates held on.
The Pirates took their bats with energy as Ortega headed for the batter’s box first. Ortega was quick to slam the first pitch for a home run to make it 7-1.
Gomez then chose right field. Edmunds also singled on his first pitch, putting the runners first and second, but the fourth inning ended with a double-dealing.
The fifth inning proved to be the Pirates’ second downfall as the Blue Devils scored 10 runs.
However, the Pirates did not give up and continued to adapt in the eighth inning where they scored twice against the Blue Devils. David Grimsley walked. Michael Diaz chose to left field and Fish chose to load in.
Dincola followed his teammates and once in the batting box he brought Grimaldi home. Ortega walked to reload the bases. Diaz then scored the final point for PC on picking a defender.
“We had solid hits off the line this game, we were good at bats,” PC coach JL Buchanan said. Devin Gomez also had a very good two-hit game.
“We had a few throwing and defensive errors. Merced is a fast team, and if you give them a moment to run or take you out, they will. The guys put up a good fight and chased the Blue Devils all the way and it was great to see.
“Our next goal is to continue to grow as a team. We don’t have the same goals as Fresno, or Bakersfield, or most of the others. We are building a base here for this team for years to come. We will continue to play and improve. »
