Laney Eagles Claw Battle of the Bay Away from Rams
Wet weather was a factor at Maloney Field in the Rams' loss.
The Rams were on the losing end of a nail-biter on Tuesday, Feb. 10, falling to the Laney College Eagles 4-3 in City College’s proverbial Battle of the Bay.
City had to contend not just with the opposing team but also with an on-and-off downpour that threatened the game throughout.
Second-year player Kaleo Velez slotted in at 3rd Base in Tuesday’s game and launched a double over the left fielder’s head in the bottom of the 2nd. He said that the wet weather and field incentivized what some might call “small ball.”
“You can’t get it in the air, so you have to use your wet field to your advantage. [In this situation] I just try to stay on top of the ball and hit stuff hard into the ground,” Velez said.
Rams Head Coach Mario Mendoza said that while weather conditions were less than optimal, he didn’t want it to make a difference in how his team took to the field. “Whatever we have to play in, they have to play in, too. So we can make excuses, or we can use this to our advantage.”
Despite notching their second straight in the loss column, the Rams have a lot of positives to take away from this matchup. No one was more aware of this than Coach Mendoza. He explained that while things could have played out better, he was happy with the team's performance: “Sean Lee and Randy Lopez did a great job pitching today; they gave us a chance. I thought both teams played really good baseball.”
The loss puts City at 1-7, tied for the worst in the Coast-North conference with De Anza and Chabot Colleges. They have given up a staggering 102 runs over those eight games, while offensively they’ve scored 36 runs, resulting in a -66 run differential.
While City College has improved with the bat in their hands this season, their performance on the bump has left something to be desired. “Every walk, every error, is going to be a run eventually,” Mendoza said. “ [It isn’t] the reason why we lost, but it’s the little things here and there, little things that might have made the difference.”
The Rams' pitching staff has a 9.13 ERA so far and has surrendered 118 hits. Both are good marks for 81st out of 88 community college baseball teams in California.
Mendoza said this game was a return to form for the team after the 18-3 pummeling they received at the hands of the Mindocino Eagles, which he said he was disappointed by. “I’m a lot happier with our performance today, but we have to get back at it. At the end of the day, no one’s going to feel sorry for us.”
Rams baseball will have a Valentine’s Day matchup versus Yuba College, followed by a bout with the Barstow College Vikings the very next day, Feb. 15. Both games will be played on Maloney Field at SF State, with start times of 1 and 12 p.m., respectively.
