Baseball Loses Against Defending PCL Champions the Patriots

Priscilla Baek and Kelthie Truong|March 25, 2020

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Kelthie Truong
The force of senior and pitcher Jamison King’s fastball launches his upper body forwards. King’s standout grit and performance has been consistent since freshman year, according to coach Kevin Conlin.

Baseball (0-1) lost ASB’s game of the week with a score of 5-3 on March 6, against the defending 2019 Pacific Coast League champions Beckman High. Though the Bulldogs lost their first game of league, they led 5-2 in pre-season, a mark of progress from last year. 

“Obviously we wanted to win the game, and there’s really no moral victories in this game, but I thought we competed pretty well,” head coach Kevin Conlin said. “[Beckman High] has been the best team in the league for many years. If we can play like this, we can beat some teams in our league.”

The Patriots took an immediate lead, scoring three runs in the first three innings. Despite not reaching home plate, the Bulldogs continued to encourage one another, cheering as offensive standout player and junior Kaeden Foucart made solid contact, sending the ball to left field. 

By the sixth inning, the game was at a lull with neither team’s players reaching third base. However, the tide turned in favor of the Bulldogs as senior Tyler Sylvester came sprinting through home plate. The spark caused two more runs to follow right after, by seniors Patrick Connolly and Jamison King.

“I felt like we were really competing at just as high of a playing field with them,” centerfielder and junior Luke Shen said. “That was really encouraging for me for the season going forward.”

Heading into the last inning with a score of 3-3, tensions rose with each pitch. Unfortunately, Beckman High defended its winning streak against the Bulldogs by scoring two more runs. 

The Bulldogs are still looking to improve and “work for each pitch” as league continues, according to Foucart. 

They are planning to send the seniors off well and continue to build the program with each passing year, hoping to sustain a strong legacy for incoming players to look up to.

“I think the biggest part of filling their spot is not only taking on their positions but the leadership roles that come along with them,” Foucart said. “They’re leaving that gap for us to take a step towards being captain of the team and just being the oldest players.”