Nightmare Ninth Dooms Warriors Again

By Brandon Petersen

There's a thing in baseball called "the Schneid."

Right now Westcliff is planted right on top of it, and unfortunately, things just won't feel right until they get off it. 

After two close, but winless, series against top-caliber clubs to open the season, Westcliff hosted Bethesda Saturday for a double-dip at Vanguard's park in Costa Mesa. 

Game 1, a 10-3 loss, was a tough pill to swallow, as another nightmare ninth doomed the Warriors for the second game in a row. 

The Flames scored seven in the ninth, an inning ignited by an error, exacerbated by another and extended by a bad call from the umpires. 

The Warriors refused to roll over in the home half, clapping back with a run thanks to some clutch knocks from Caleb Castanchoa and Centralia's own, Nolan Wasson. 

Speaking of Sticks, the Pacific Northwest native Julio-ed a fastball well over the fence in left to make it 2-1, Bethesda, in the bottom of the fourth.

Joe De Francisco and Keith Hale followed up with a pair of base hits, and De Francisco tied the score at two apiece on a groundball out from Evan Rocha.

Kyle Douphner got the start for Westcliff and was very good for the second straight outing.

Douphner outlasted Bethesda starter Johnathan Mejia by two innings, finishing seven full, allowing three earned on 10 scattered hits. The towering right-hander struck out four and didn't allow a base on balls. 

Hale and Daniel Esqueda finished with three hits each and both De Francisco and Ulysses Duran had two. 

De Francisco had a nice game all-around, turning in a highlight-reel play on a slow-roller to short, and stealing a base with swim-move slide over the tag at second. 

Overall, however, Westcliff stranded too many runners with some overly-aggressive hitting at opportune moments. 

Right now, the Warriors are pressing, but not panicking. They desperately want off the Schneid, and are at moments forcing the issue at the plate, rather than making the opponent work for an out. 

The more patient they get, the deeper into the opposing starter they will get, forcing more favorable counts and better pitches to hit. 

The Warriors are an extremely mature team, and they understand that their current record doesn't match their talent-level or potential. 

They also understand that nothing truly matters until the Cal Pac comes calling. 

Desi Garcia and Eddie Vokes are currently out with injuries, leaving the pitching staff depleted and relying on younger starters.

Derek Morris, a veteran arm out of the pen was fantastic in an inning of work Saturday, but the bullpen on the whole remains a question mark. 

The season is still very young. 

Baseball is a sport about managing failure —  the world's best hitters only succeed a third of the time — and patience is often the quickest path to success. 

The wins are going to come for the Warriors. 

The club will get off the Schneid.

It's only a matter of time.