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| Curtain closes on Tigers’ season |
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| Written by Marc Aceves / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 14 May 2008 | |
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“The best players learn from failure and adversity, so hopefully we’ll have a group of young guys who will come out hungry to win next year.” — Benji Lozano, PHS varsity baseball coach Following the Tigers’ tepid 4-9 start, few expected the squad to battle for a playoff berth this season. Still, the Patterson High baseball team stayed in contention until early April before finally being eliminated from the postseason chase. Lately, the Tigers have basked in the glow of a late-season renaissance, showing resurgence in their offense while posting double-digit run totals in three of their four final games. Patterson — playing for pride’s sake — acknowledged that the team is building toward next season, while at the same time trying to send its six senior athletes off with a fond farewell. The Tigers were three outs away from fulfilling the latter of their late-season goals, leading second-ranked small-school Hilmar, 10-7, in the final inning of Friday’s contest. But they couldn’t finish the job, instead bowing out to the visiting Yellowjackets, 11-10. Despite the disappointing finish to the 2008 campaign, Tigers manager Benji Lozano is heading into the off-season feeling optimistic. “Our younger guys now have experience and are going to put in the extra work it takes in the summer and at workouts to improve their individual games,” Lozano said. “The best players learn from failure and adversity, so hopefully we’ll have a group of young guys who will come out hungry to win next year.” Patterson’s Keith Yamamoto led off the home half of the first inning with an infield single. Teammate and fellow senior Daniel Kifle followed with a walk. The Tigers’ David Gonsalves then delivered a two-out opposite-field double to right field, plating both runners. Patterson senior Josh Mendoza brought Gonsalves home from second with an RBI double of his own, giving the Tigers an early 3-0 advantage.  Patterson's Nico Plascencia slides onto second base as Hilmar's Brian Cummings waits for the throw. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Hilmar managed to steal a run back in the top of the second inning, but the team appeared offensively stagnant in the next two innings. The Tigers, on the other hand, were aggressive both at the plate and on the base paths, playing heads-up baseball and manufacturing another two-out rally in their half of the second. With two down, Kifle hustled out an infield single. Teammate Daniel Reza followed, slapping a base hit to left field. Kifle sped around second, forcing an ill-advised throw from the Jackets’ outfielder. The throw sailed wide and past Hilmar’s third baseman, allowing Kifle to score and helping Reza land at second base. Patterson senior Waylon Berrios then plated Reza with a single, upping the Tigers’ lead to 5-1, and Gonsalves followed, drawing a walk and putting runners at first and second. Mendoza drilled his second double of the game — a lined shot into the left-field gap, good for two more runs — to keep the Tigers’ inning alive. Mendoza later scored on an error, giving Patterson a commanding 8-1 cushion. But he Yellowjackets chipped away at the Tigers’ lead — tacking on a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. Patterson, however, answered right back. Mendoza’s third hit of the game — a single coming in the bottom of the fourth inning — was enough to plate Berrios and push the lead back to 9-3. The ’Jackets bats awoke in the fifth. Hilmar’s Joe Coleman led off the inning with a triple to right field and eventually scored on teammate A.J. Miranda’s single. Austin Amaral of the ’Jackets tagged Hilmar’s second triple of the inning deep and over the Tigers’ centerfielder, plating Miranda and trimming the deficit to 9-5. Hilmar’s Carl Jamison reached on an infield single, sliding headfirst into the bag and just ahead of the Patterson throw.  PHS senior Daniel Difle readies to make contact with a Hilmar pitch during Friday's game. Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The errant attempt to nab Jamison at first, short-hopped past the Tigers’ first baseman, skipping into foul territory and allowing Amaral to easily score. The Tigers’ temporarily escaped, still ahead by a 9-6 margin, but momentum was clearly swinging in favor of the Jackets. Hilmar battled on in the top of the sixth, exploiting the crumbling Tigers’ defense, and tacking on another valuable run. Patterson loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but failed to fully take advantage of the situation. The Tigers managed to squeeze out one more run — just the team’s second since its second inning outburst — before leaning on its pitching to stave off Hilmar’s final charge. Amaral led off the seventh inning with a single. Patterson ostensibly buckled down however, inducing both a strike out and a fielder’s choice ground out in succession of one another. Desperate times called upon the Jackets’ to piece together a two-out rally of its own. Amaral alertly stole third base, scoring on an adverse throw. Hilmar’s David Fantazia followed, reaching on a single. Pinch runner Donavan Smith immediately took Fantazia’s place on the base paths. Teammates Sam Ramirez and Hugh Ewing each walked, loading the bases for the ’Jackets. Coleman dug in — and with two strikes — hammered a sinking liner in to right field.  Waylon Berrios loses his hat in the effort of delivering a pitch to a Hilmar batter. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Patterson’s outfielder dove in a desperate attempt to snare the ball before it touched the ground. The ball fell in — just short of the right fielder’s glove — and bounced all the way out to the warning track. Coleman’s double cleared the bases, putting the ’Jackets on top, 11-10. Patterson went down in order to end the seventh, visibly dejected by the game’s turn of events. Despite the loss, Lozano did not allow his team to hang their heads. “You can’t always judge a team by wins and losses,” Lozano said. “This is a great group of guys. The quality men that we are producing out here stands on its own. We are all family out here, and I have a lot of really great memories of this year’s team.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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