Rams Mauled by CSM Bulldogs in 19-1 Beatdown
The Rams were not able to fend off an offensive assault by the College of San Mateo.
City College was on the receiving end of a thrashing by the Bulldogs on March 10, with the Rams plating only one and surrendering 19 in their first conference game of the season.
The Rams held it relatively close through the first six innings, entering the top of the 7th down 5-1. CSM had different plans, putting up seven runs on three hits, profiting from three errors by the Rams. They then continued the barrage until their last out, posting an additional five runs in the next inning, and two in the 9th.
On the City College side, Freshman leftfielder Malachi Washington singled twice, and Sophomore utility man Horacio Bucio was able to get on base twice with a single and a walk. Overall, the Rams scattered six hits throughout the game.
This loss is their 15th straight, giving them a 1-19 record on the season in what has been a down year for the Rams. Head Coach Mario Mendoza says that despite this, the team has persevered, saying “[It’s been a] Tough season…the thing I admire about this team is that while the results haven’t been what we want, the attitude is still great. We’re still working hard.”
Despite adding another one to the loss column, the game wasn’t all bad. Sophomore centerfielder Max Silicani was a bright spot, saving more than a couple of hits from dropping for San Mateo and playing stellar defense overall, especially when factoring in the amount of ground one must cover when playing any outfield position at the expansive Maloney Field.
Silicani said his catch in the 7th inning, which prevented extra bases for CSM’s Elijah Ward, had the highest degree of difficulty, “Going to my left was the hardest because it was a lefty [batter] and we had a righty [pitcher] on the bump, so this ball had some slice going away from me.” Silicani ranged over 150 feet to reel the ball in at the warning track.
Although the Rams' outfield defense and contact hitting have been solid this season, their pitching has left something to be desired. Following their game on March 12, in which they were battered 29-0 by the Bulldogs, their run differential (runs scored vs runs allowed) sits at a cool -259, as they have let 318 opponents cross the plate, and scored 59 themselves. Admittedly, the offensive environment of their conference and 3C2A at large skews heavily towards high run scoring, but this has not been a recipe for success for City College’s nine.
“Same thing as any branch of life, [you need] consistency,” said Mendoza. “When things go right, we’re pretty good. When things go wrong, we still haven’t learned how to handle the adversity that’s gonna hit us, especially in our conference.”
In terms of the rest of the season, Coach Mendoza said he just wants to compete. “[I want us to] Keep getting better every day, limit these mistakes we’re making, play with no fear, and play baseball the right way.”
They followed this game up with the aforementioned loss to CSM, dropping another one to them the very next day, March 13, before winning their first game in over a month against Chabot on March 17.
