Frustrated by its sloppy all-around effort just two days prior, East Union was near-perfect Wednesday when rival Sierra visited for Game 2 of their best-of-three Valley Oak League series.
Blake Mount struck out 12 in a dominant two-hit shutout, and he was backed by a clean defensive effort and timely hitting in a 9-0 win for EU at Maurice Agostini Field.
It was a complete role reversal from the opener, which Sierra took 11-1 in six innings. The rubber game is Friday at Sierra’s Jack Stadium.
“We played catch and we were mentally focused,” East Union coach Dan Bauer said. “Obviously, Blake pitched really threw the ball really well. Our approach at the plate was a lot better; we made some adjustments yesterday. We were worried about ourselves and not worried about anything else. The two things we can control is our attitude and our effort, and if we can do that for seven innings, we can play good baseball.”
His Lancers (3-5 VOL, 9-9 overall) bolted to a 6-0 lead after two innings, capitalizing on three errors from Sierra (3-7, 5-10). Mount helped spot himself the lead with a two-run single in the second inning.
“I think we just came out with our bats hot today, and (on Monday), we let them get a lot of momentum in the first inning, and we didn’t allow that this game,” Mount said. “I thought that was definitely a game changer for us.”
After some early control issues, Mount settled into a groove and was untouchable. He retired the final 13 batters he faced, and seven of the last nine struck out. The two hits, one walk and one hit batter he gave up were all in the first three innings.
“Sometimes, it takes you a second to really feel the moment,” Mount said. “Especially it being (against) a cross-town rival, you have to lock in. When you’re playing against another VOL team, it’s a higher level of competition than most teams you are going to play in the preseason. You kind of have to raise your level to do something like that.”
Offensively, the Lancers got production up and down the lineup. Leadoff hitter Jackson Fay went 2-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. He capped the final score in the sixth inning when he drilled a triple to deep right-center field and later stole home.
Shane Lewis Jr., batting from the ninth spot, added a two-run single with two outs in the fifth inning. Joe Alvarez and Kirk Simoni each drove in a run. Efren Diaz and Peyton Heath both scored twice.
“They beat us 11-1 the other day, so they could put some runs up,” Bauer said. “I was trying to tell the guys to keep playing. We had good, quality at-bats out of everybody, and it’s huge to have production from our ninth spot.”
Ricardo Anaya and Ryan Reyes had the lone hits for the Timberwolves. Starting pitcher Collins Schluer was replaced with no outs in the second inning. Jayden Pimental did well to keep this team in the game, throwing four solid innings in relief with three strikeouts. He gave up two earned runs on one hit and three walks. Riley Kane struck out two of four batters in the sixth inning.
“I think this is the complete opposite from Monday, and I think they (East Union) would agree from their end,” Sierra coach Travis Thomson said. “It’s not a complicated game. You have to play catch, and we started off the game with two errors. When you give East Union momentum, they usually do well with it. We missed a couple coverages today. All around, we did not play well. I don’t think there’s one area where we could say cost us this game.
“The bright spot was Pimental. He came in bases loaded and no outs (in the second inning) and only allowed them to score one run. That’s the most he has pitched all year, so I was really happy to see a junior have some success and get some outs in a game like today.”
