The boys baseball team took the field on Thursday, Mar. 3 with a fighting mentality instilled against the Hillsdale Knights. For the first three innings, the Dons kept a one run lead after senior infielder Jordan Tong hit an RBI, bringing in senior outfielder Alex Athanacio for a run.
Senior pitcher Andrew Abbott stayed composed for the first two innings, not allowing any big hits for Hillsdale. However, in the bottom of the third inning, Hillsdale senior Arya Ghazizadeh hit a ball down the middle that Abbott could not get a grip on, resulting in a hit.
With two outs, Hillsdale senior Trevor Bettis hit a single, allowing for runners to advance on base and leaving a player on first and third. After freshman catcher Cameron Grant tried to throw out a stealing runner at second, Ghazizadeh was then able to steal home for the tying run.
Later in the inning, Hillsdale senior David Badet hit a double to right field, allowing Hillsdale’s Trevor Bettis to score and take the lead, 2-1. The Knights did not keep their lead for long, though, for in the fourth inning, Grant hit a double to center field, receiving an RBI and tying the game once again 2-2.
By the end of the fourth inning, the Knights were able to take the lead again after senior Riki Urata tallied his a RBI to make the score 3-2.
With two runners on base in the bottom of the fifth inning, senior pitcher Kyle Tanaka was brought on as a relief pitcher. Hillsdale senior Joseph Pinochi hit a double to left field, allowing a single runner to score. Immediately after, Hillsdale sophomores Ryan Wetteland and Arjun Mahanty hit RBI singles making the game 6-2 in the Knights’ favor.
As the game advanced into the top of the sixth inning, the Dons began to capitalize on their chances. After Hillsdale pitcher Ryan Wetteland walked two batters, Aragon junior Trey Kujiraoka hit a sacrifice fly ball making the game 6-3. With two outs in the inning, Athanacio hit an RBI single allowing senior shortstop Devin Grant and junior Stephen Collard to score, making the game 6-5. However, that was the cloest the Dons were able to come to in their eventual 6-5 loss against the Knights.
Last season, the Dons were successful in reaching the semifinals of the CCS playoffs. Unfortunately, in their intense game facing Carmel, Aragon lost in the final inning of the game after a third base error, which resulted in the winning run. Despite dealing with the defeat that they had to face, Aragon is ready to take on the new season.
Although the Dons lost some key players, they hope to rebuild the strong team dynamic that they were successful in finding last season. “We lost some great players last year, however, I do feel that we have guys that can take their empty spot and perform just as well” says senior infielder Nick Puccinelli. He adds, “We plan to work longer and harder than any other team so that we can be ready for the season.”
The Dons hope to reach the CCS playoffs once again and have high hopes that they will be able to accomplish their goal. “Our team has to function as one and all ‘pull on the same rope,’ as our coach says,” senior Andrew Abbott emphasizes. “This will help us to go far into the season and will ultimately help us surpass the point we got to last year.”
Aragon understands that in addition to strong team chemistry, they must focus on pitching. Abbott mentions, “We have a lot of potential within our pitching staff. We also have many arms that I feel can go the distance for our team.”
With many expectations in mind, the Dons hope to make improvements in order to ultimately help them achieve a common goal: CCS.
The Dons begin their season on Mar. 15 with a matchup against King’s Academy.
