Redwoods baseball, after seeing a couple of wins in the past couple of weeks, nearly got their third Golden Valley Conference victory against Lassen in the middle of a three-game road series, but fell in all three, 9-1 and 3-2 on Friday, and 17-5 on Saturday. The squad is now 4-26 (2-15 conference)
Carson Fleming went 2-for-3 for Redwoods in the first game. In the second, Tristen Valenzuela pitched a strong eight innings for CR with just two earned runs, but the Cougars plated a run in each of the last two innings and walked it off on an error. Hunter Stockinger went 2-for-4 and Fleming 1-for-2 with two runs batted in.
Javier Mesa follows through with his swing. (Quick Flics by Jackson — Contributed)
In the finale, Javier Mesa went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Fleming went 1-for-3, and David McDonald went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
“(It was an) overall disappointing weekend,” said CR head coach John Downey. “We would have loved to have taken game two, but unfortunately, we gave it away there at the end. It’s heartbreaking to see these guys not find that successful feeling after such a great game. Games one and three weren’t nearly as fun, but there’s highlights to take away.”
“Our biggest goal is now to grow as much as we can the rest of the way,” he continued. “Take games from teams that are looking to make playoff runs and see what our guys can do. I have to give the biggest compliment to our guys in how engaged and locked-in they are throughout each and every inning. We talk about winning 18 half-innings, and they are loud and engaged in each one. They could have easily rolled over a while ago, but they have a fire every day that is undeniable. They want to win, they want to see each other succeed, and they want to make the most out of the rest of this season. I’m proud to be their coach, regardless of the outcome.”
He reflected on where things went awry.
“I’m not sure there’s a reason why we came out flat in game one,” he said. “It could’ve been travel or whatever, but we did come out flat. … In the bottom of the first there, we gave up a six-spot on a couple errors and a bad read. We lost that half-inning and couldn’t really generate much offense.”
He said Drew Franklin settled in on the mound after that, putting up zeros, but Redwoods was ultimately unable to claw back. Ryan Naillon had the RBI, and Downey said the team is happy with his progress. “We just couldn’t really do much for Drew after he settled in there,” he said.
Ryan Naillon is ready at the plate for Redwoods. (Quick Flics by Jackson — Contributed)
In the second contest Friday, Valenzuela was dealing and “threw amazing,” according to Downey, with just the two earned tallies.
“He went out and gave us an electric effort,” said the coach. “It’s unfortunate that one of the biggest things that’s plagued us this year has been our defensive miscues, and it did show up for us there in the end with them walking off on our error. We really wish we could’ve gotten him the win and walked away with one. There’s a lot to grow from that.” Stockinger got credit from his coach for his performance at the plate.
Of game three, Downey stated, “Javier (Mesa) has been a guy that’s battled injury this year, but we’re very lucky to have him in the lineup, always relying on him to be in the middle and doing a decent job. David (McDonald) has really found his stride in the last month, and he’s been a guy that’s had some struggles at the plate and in the field, but has really grown tremendously. We’re really proud of what he’s done, not only in his performance but the way he carries himself.”
Javier Mesa is ready to field his position at first base. (Quick Flics by Jackson — Contributed)
“It’s easy for these guys in these circumstances right now to roll over, and maybe show attitude or have a bad time because of the record or losing, but they don’t, and David is a guy who really leads by example as a true freshman. We’re really happy to see him do that and for what the future brings for him… we could just put a bow on the year with not much time left, but they’re not. They show up to work; yesterday was an off-day, and guys were coming up to (get) their work in. They show up every game day with relentless excitement for the game and each other, and to see us succeed, it’s really fun to watch and be a part of, regardless. We hate losing more than we love winning, but we’re really happy to see these guys continue to grow. That’s the biggest W for us right now, seeing these guys blossom into young men who love each other and love the game. We’re excited for the future.”
The squad travels to Feather River for two games on Friday, and in advance of that, Downey said the message is that “we’re looking forward to the competition, lining up against a good opponent. Everyone in our conference is good, and Feather River has done a fantastic job, only losing one conference game. They’re legit, and right now our focus is taking every game possible and maybe putting a damper on another team’s season. Now we’ve got to be kinda the bad guy and take one from them this weekend. We’re excited about the opportunity.”
Ken McCanless can be reached at 707-441-0526.