Since scrimmages started last fall, a culture has started brewing among the Titans baseball team. For a start, they’re not losing.
Although incredibly unofficial, the scrimmages were a success, with old and new talent alike contributing to many San Marino victories. Therefore, when regular season play started last week, confidence was pumping through Titan veins.
“Teamwork helps us unite together and find success and victories on the field. After the successful fall season, we were feeling very confident in our pitching staff, defense and offense,” Bryan Lee said.
And it showed. Three wins to start off non-conference play in the SoCal invitational only solidified the confidence. Even in the absence of three starters -- Harrison Dunkel, Will Steele and Austin Urbach -- the Titans were winning with conviction.
Saturday’s game against Heritage Christian had a different vibe. Having won the tournament last year, the Titans were out to defend their crown. Meanwhile, the Warriors were looking to pull off the upset. The game was one for baseball purists, a tightly contested 1-0 win walk off win for the Titans.
Set up by six strong innings from Tommy Hannan, it was Jose Aguiar who had the hit to win it for the Titans, a sacrifice fly to deep center field.
Despite Aguiar’s heroics, it was very much a team effort. Hannan’s six innings of no-hit ball didn’t hurt, either. The right hander was masterful through the first four, striking out seven and allowing only one baserunner.
“It took a few batters to figure out which of my pitches were effective that day and which weren't. From there, it was just a matter of hitting my spots with the ones that were working,” Hannan said.
However, the Titan bats were uncharacteristically quiet. Heritage Christian sent Benji Foyle to the mound for his first start of the season.
Foyle had a shaky junior year, allowing eight runs in eight innings during a short stint with the varsity squad. That didn’t show on Saturday. He kept pace with Hannan through the first four, striking out four while allowing just one hit.
“Unfortunately for us hitters, pitchers duels will happen, and that usually means that the bats will lay quiet for a few innings and sometimes entire games. It's frustrating but we respond by finding other ways to score,” Ruben Garcia said.
As the game progressed, the quality of play improved, with big plays from both teams. In the fifth, Titans outfielder Ryan Sabin made a leaping catch in right field, saving what would have been a sure-fire double with a runner on first base. In the bottom half of the inning, Blake Cabot smacked a double into deep left field with one out, but the Titans were unable to get him across the plate after a sacrifice bunt from Hannan. The home side also had a chance in the bottom of the sixth, but Garcia hit a line drive right to the second baseman with Lee on second and two outs.
By the time the end of the sixth rolled around, it was poised to be a battle of the bullpens.
The Titans called upon Garcia for the seventh. In the three games before, he had thrown two innings and retired every single batter he faced. The form continued for the senior, as he went through the inning on 10 pitches, striking out two.
“I've kept the mentality of just pounding the zone relentlessly with fastballs,” Garcia said.
Trent Davis (12) came in for the Warriors, and was immediately in trouble. He walked Matt Gulick (11) on four pitches, allowed a hard hit single to Cabot, and then walked Hannan on five pitches. Aguiar pinch-hit and saw one pitch called a strike before hitting a fly ball to center to score Gulick in dramatic walk-off fashion.
With the win, the Titans moved to 4-0. League play starts in late March.
