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Lack of good practice costs Cerro Coso

By Tim Allen, Staff Reporter, The Daily Independent

“Our relievers did exactly what they were suppose to do...They gave us a chance to get back in the game, and we tried there in the fifth, but it just wasn't enough.”

VALENCIA - He doesn't fancy himself a psychic or epic prognosticator, but Coyote head baseball coach may want to give those professions a look someday when he retires.

Warning his team that they hadn't had a good week's practice and to be focused going into Thursday's game, only some of the players on the Cerro Coso roster evidently took it to heart and the team ended up with an 8-3 loss on the road at College of the Canyons.

The Coyotes are 1-1 on the year.

“Going into last weekend, we had four weeks of great practices,” said Adams of his squad's sessions leading up to last weekend's win over Ventura. “We were like a locomotive on track and full steam ahead. But the last three days were not good, and I told the guys they had better be focused or this kind of thing could happen.”

That ‘kind of thing' was CoC jumping on fastballs like they were going out of style, scoring seven runs in the first three innings to open a lead they would never relinquish.

“(Jessie) Zuber (0-1) started for us and just wasn't the same bird he was last week for some reason,” Adams said of his starting pitcher. “He'll be fine down the road, but he just didn't have it against them today.”

Zuber was tagged with the loss after allowing six earned runs on seven hits over three innings.

The Coyote relievers showed promise in pitching the final five frames of the contest.

Ryan Gorzitze pitched four strong innings after Zuber, allowing one earned run on two hits and striking out two.

Garrett Argyle pitched a scoreless eighth.

“Our relievers did exactly what they were suppose to do,” reflected Adams. “They gave us a chance to get back in the game, and we tried there in the fifth, but it just wasn't enough.”

The fifth saw Cody Rieger get a one-out single and move to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler McAllister.

Mark Sayas followed with a double to score Rieger, and later scored on a booming two-run home run by Jon Proesl.

And of those that got Adams' message the day before in practice, all four players to get hits in the game for Cerro Coso were sophomores.

Kyle Hanson led the way with a 3-for-4 day, while Sayas and Proesl each went 2-for-4. Catcher Cameron White got the only other hit in a 1-for-4 performance.

The Coyotes will try and right their ship today as they travel to Adams alma mater in Moorpark for a 2 p.m. start, where Burroughs alumni Clint Williamson will get the start.

They will round out the weekend with a doubleheader Saturday at Glendale, with the first pitch being tossed at 10 a.m.

Friday, February 2, 2007

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