New Freedom baseball head coach Jonathan Lewis has a clear vision of where he wants to be looking at the end of the season — it’s atop of the Bay Valley Athletic League standings. 

Their 3-2 win over Castro Valley improved their record to 3-0 with the first two being shutouts (of 5-0 and 6-0). Still, Lewis had his team doing sprints on the field after a two-and-a-half hour game that they narrowly won after their three-run lead was cut to one in the final three innings. 

“The extra work after was a consequence of missing signs or striking out while looking,” Lewis said. “Holding them accountable and keeping a high standard. If we want to be able to (win the) league we’re going to have to be tough. We can not be soft, and that was the message there.”

After last Thursday’s game, there was high praise for the Falcons’ pitching and defense. Lewis characterized their offense as “sporadic”, but in Tuesday’s game versus Castro Valley, both the offense and defense played well. And the way in which they got the win was a pleasant surprise to Lewis to know that when in need, his group can score in multiple different ways. 

“It was a gritty win,” Lewis said. “(We played) good defense and base running was the key there. Anderson (Allen) had a nice steal home and Keys (Isaiah) stealing second in the first and third situation was kind of the end of the game there. And bunts also. We played a little bit of small ball to get this win so it was the first win coming from a different style of play, but it’s good that they have that in the bag.”

The grittiness started from the Falcons’ first at-bat. Isaiah Keys, leadoff hitter, was running to first base after hitting a ground ball down centerfield. The Castro Valley first baseman stood on the first base line and he and Keys crashed into each other. The Falcons were called for impeding and the visiting coach and fans called for “malicious play.” 

After five minutes, play resumed and the chirping between players began. Though cooler heads prevailed after the first two innings, it was setting up a slow-paced but also back-and-forth game. And that is the kind of thing that Lewis is comfortable with and he trusts his bullpen to execute in high-pressure moments. 

Tuesday, it was Luis Sepulveda and Brayden Machado’s turn to deliver. 

“We had to maximize our opportunities that we had, which weren’t that many,” Lewis said. “We were a little more aggressive than we would have been but ultimately the game is always going to come down to pitching and defense.”

“Luis (Sepulveda) was filling up the (strike) zone the whole day, I thought he pitched well for his first performance on varsity,” Lewis said. “I don’t foresee him having too many bad outings. Brayden has come out of relief the last two games and he did his job. It’s a tough spot with bases loaded, one out and to pitch out of that. (They are) two good juniors.”

Lewis knows what he wants this season to look like for his team on the field. He wants his team to follow suit, and so far they have.

“I know where I want to get, and if they want to get there then they have to meet me there,” Lewis said.