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Coyotes knocked out of playoff hunt thanks to weekend sweep

By Cheeto Barrera, Sports Editor, The Daily Independent

“We're 18-20 and we have six games left."

The giant killers weren't able to repeat.

After shaking up the playoff picture just a week before, the Cerro Coso baseball team is out of the post season thanks to a three game sweep at the hands of Rio Hondo, capped off by a pair of losses Saturday, 7-6 and 6-4.
Now sitting in fifth place, the Coyotes are eliminated from the playoff picture and will shift their focus.

“I'm always a goals guy,” said coach Dick Adams. “We're 18-20 and we have six games left. I told the guys are new goal make sure above .500 when season's over. But we have so many freshmen, we've just got to keep building.”

Looking to rebound from a 21-5 loss on Thursday, the Coyotes had Darren Travers led the charge to get the team back on track. But as has happened far too often this season, the defense let the pitcher down and the offense wasn't able to compensate.
Travers took a no hitter into the sixth inning and a shutout into the eighth.

But thanks to three errors to start the eighth inning, the Roadrunners got some momentum going and took off for seven runs.

Travers couldn't get the third out of the inning, giving up four earned runs and having six strike outs on the day.
The Coyote offense had just gotten going two innings before, with the first run being scored in the sixth and a three spot in the seventh to go up 4-0.

Cerro Coso had a chance to go ahead in the top of the ninth, but plated just two runs - one shy of possible extra innings.

And it wasn't as if the Coyotes didn't have their chances. Cerro Coso had 18 hits on the day, but couldn't come up with a timely hit nor execute the bunt.

A squeeze attempt in the seventh to get an insurance run failed, setting up the troubled eighth.

Franklin Romero, Jr., had the hot bat of the game, going 4-5, scoring two runs, joined by Fred Bello who went 4-6 with an RBI.

Jake Orr notched two hits in four at bats, driving up two runs. Jake Smith rounded out the hitting going 3-5 with an RBI.
In game two, Cerro Coso once again had a late lead that evaporated.

Thanks to a pair of runs in the third, as well as single runs in the first and fifth, Cerro Coso went up 4-2 into the fifth inning of a seven inning game.

A four spot in the bottom half of the fifth, however, was enough to quell the Coyote's momentum.
Cerro Coso tallied just four hits in the game to Rio Hondo's nine.

Eugene Wright took the loss, going four and two thirds innings getting dinged for all six runs.

Steve Johnson finished out the game, giving up no runs.

Bello led what little offense Cerro Coso had, accounting for all four runs, scoring three times and driving in a run going 1-2.

Joe Keiser rounded out the day with an RBI with Tommy Gale going 1-2.

Cerro Coso will have a week off, returning to conference play on April 24 against Victor Valley.

April 28, 2008

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