On April 19 and 21, the Poly Softball and Baseball teams played against the Cabrillo Jaguars and the Wilson Bruins. Both teams had massive statements to make as they both had to follow up on their previous match-ups against the Wilson Bruins.
For the baseball team, the game against the Jaguars didn’t seem to be much of a challenge. They had a well-played game, winning by a margin of 13-1. Six of the 13 runs came in the first inning, allowing the Rabbits to gain momentum at the very beginning of the game.
“Our team was very solid that day. We didn’t play down to our opponent and we were able to get an early lead and then were able to cruise on from there,” said junior Gavin Palagonia.
As for the next game against the Bruins, the Jackrabbits were looking to get a victory after taking a loss in their previous match-up. The game was intense, with pitchers on both teams playing great. However, Poly was not able to capitalize on their opportunities, and Wilson was able to score twice in the second inning. As a result, Poly would take another loss against the Bruins with a score of 2-0.
The pattern would end up being the same for the Lady Jackrabbits as well. The first game was predicted to be an easy one, since the Jaguars had lost to weaker opponents in the Moore League and have an overall record of 6-12.Also, because Poly was playing on their home turf, they did not have very much to worry about. Poly ended up beating Cabrillo by a wide margin of 18-2. Although Poly played fantastic, they were still preoccupied with playing Wilson next.
Every year, Poly and Wilson have had very close games. With the two teams evenly matched each year, they have come to share a rivalry. The Rabbits have always aimed to defeat the Bruins, and were finally able to achieve this goal in the last game on March 22. This was the first time that they had beaten the Wilson Bruins since 2007. However, this following game turned out to have a completely different outcome.
While Poly came to get another big win, the Bruins were seeking vengeance and were able to pull off a victory against Poly. The game turned out to have a big setting, because it was on senior night and the Jackrabbits were playing at home again—Joe Rodgers Stadium.
Wilson pitcher Joette Vega had a dominant game, not allowing the Rabbits to score capping off the game with a score of 5-0. Although the Rabbits were able to hit Vega’s pitches, they were unlucky and the ball continued to roll to the opponent each time.
“We knew we had to win and knew it was going to be a very tough game. They really wanted to beat us after we won the first round,” claimed junior Mikaela Vidovich. “They came out dominant. We could not catch a break.”
Both the softball and baseball teams look to redeem themselves in their following games. Both teams played against the Jordan Panthers on Wednesday, April 27, which could not be reported on due to time constraints. After tough losses from the Bruins, the teams should come out playing hard with lots of energy. Now that the first round of Moore League is out of the way, both teams have learned what they are up against and should play much better.
Leave a Reply