Downey’s varsity baseball team took the field against Warren on April 12, hoping to defeat the Bears and advance to compete for the league title. The five-hour game lasted eleven innings and ended with a Bear victory of 8-10.
The first three innings were slow, and it wasn’t until the top of fourth that Downey scored. Downey continued making runs and kept the lead throughout the game.
In the middle of the seventh inning, Downey’s bases were loaded as the score read 5-2. Junior Gabriel Llanes was up to bat with two strikes and one ball. Warren’s pitcher threw a curveball and Llanes hit the ball to the far left field, allowing all three bases to run home, making it 8-2.
“By the eighth inning I really thought we had it in the bag,” senior first baseman Francisco Gomes said, “but baseball is a funny sport; it’s really anybody’s game.”
Warren was up to bat in the eighth inning and the game turned around completely. There was a pop-up to the third basemen near left field, causing Downey’s shortstop to run and catch the ball, but drop it giving Warren a walk to first base. Pitcher Llanes walked another player. A Warren baseman hit a triple and by the bottom of the eighth, the score was 8-5.
“Fundamentally our team is good, but Warren has been practicing since September so they have easily out worked us,” senior Richard Gomez said, “they just wanted it more than we did.”
In the tenth inning, Warren hit two back-to-back doubles and bunted once, allowing them to gain the lead by two.
The eleventh inning was Downey’s final chance to defeat the Bears, but the Vikes didn’t have any luck.
Due to the loss against Warren, Downey is not eligible to complete for the league title.
“It’s hard to believe that we lost because we had such a lead over Warren,” senior Eros Garcia said, “but I just hope we win the rest of the games left in the season.”
Varsity has a home game against Gahr on Friday, April 19, 2013 at 3:15 p.m.
