Bengals fall to Liberty in extra-inning stunner

BOXSCORE

    (March 8, 2008) – Liberty’s Jordan Dove singled home the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as Bonanza’s baseball team squandered a 4-run first inning, falling to the Patriots, 6-5. 

    The Bengals (0-2) blew a late lead for the second consecutive game to open the season, allowing the tying run to score with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. 

    "This was a tough one,” Bonanza coach Derek Stafford said. “We jumped on them early but we let them off the hook. Granted, it’s early in the season, but these kinds of losses are tough to swallow because we simply did not play team baseball after the first inning.” 

    Liberty (2-0) was down to its final out before Tyler Damiano singled doubled home the game-tying run against sophomore David Pettis (0-1), who was the tough luck loser in the ballgame. 

    "Dave didn’t throw poorly,” Stafford said. “He simply did not get the run support we needed to win this game. We shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place, but we lacked leadership today and it showed. Someone needs to step up for us and lead. 

    Tomo Delp returned to the line-up after a hamstring injury, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, while Philip Navarro added a pair of hits and a run scored in the loss. Chasen Shreve tripled in a run before scoring on a Delp single and Kris Bryant doubled in a run in the top of the first.

    Starting pitcher Mario Franzese, in his first career varsity start, struggled to find the strike zone. The 6-foot-3 sophomore went three innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits while walking four in a no-decision.

    "It was his first varsity start so I think he just had the jitters,” Stafford said. “Mario is a control pitcher so if he is struggling to find the zone, I’d like to believe it was all nerves. He’ll be fine, but you’ve got to throw strikes when you’re spotted a 4-0 lead before you even take the mound.”

    Junior Kyle Hutchens, who allowed just one earned run on three hits, went three innings in relief. Hutchens also added a pair of hits and a pair of stolen bases in the loss.

    The loss is Bonanza’s first-ever loss to Liberty, which opened a little more than five years ago. The Bengals return to action Monday, in their home opener against Foothill. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start as Bonanza looks to get its first win of the season.

    "We just have to keep at it,” Stafford said. “We have a lot of games in a short amount of time heading into Spring Break, so there’s no time to focus on the past. We need to look to Monday’s game and worry about Foothill.
   
    “We can’t change what just happened and if we spend too much time looking back, we’ll stumble over what’s in front of us.”