JC Baseball: Rustlers drop opener
The team picture of the 2016 Golden West College baseball squad that reached the four-team state tournament is likely one Coach Bert Villarreal will display prominently as one of the best units in his 28 seasons at the helm.
But with only 25 of the 261 runs batted in and just four of the 32 pitching victories returning from last season, that team picture/roster won’t be much good to Villarreal in 2017.
The Rustlers, coming off a 32-16 season in which they tied for second in the Orange Empire Conference, opened what should be a challenging year with an 8-1 nonconference home loss to Palomar on Friday.
“We lost every one [of our starting position players] and most of our pitching,” Villarreal said. “We’re completely a brand new team and we’re going to have to go through this in nonconference this year. Hopefully we get better as we go.”
Golden West was hitless through four innings against Palomar starter Nate Stilinovich, and managed just four hits against two Comets relievers. The Rustlers had fewer than four hits only once in their previous 91 games, and just twice in their last 146 contests, dating back to 2013.
Villarreal’s newbies were one for seven with runners in scoring position and had only three runners reach third base.
“We had way too many lazy fly-ball outs,” Villarreal said of his team’s nine flyouts, three of which were foul pops to the catcher and two more failed to leave the infield.
The Rustlers struck out five times (twice looking), hit into one double play and had one runner picked off second base.
Defensively, the hosts committed three errors, though one came on an erroneous catcher’s interference call. Only one Palomar run, however, was unearned.
The Comets led, 3-0, after five and a half innings, before freshman right fielder Ryan Carpenter opened the Rustlers’ sixth with a double into the gap in left-center field and scored one out later on a double by sophomore shortstop Louie Canjura that sailed under a diving attempt by the right fielder.
Golden West’s other hits were singles by sophomore catcher Myles Moran and freshman first baseman Jeff Zordani in the seventh inning.
Golden West sophomore starter Taylor Franzman, who was 4-0 in 13 appearances last season, including three starts, allowed just two hits and no runs in his first three innings.
Franzman exited with one out in the seventh. He allowed eight hits and six runs, five earned, and threw 98 pitches.
“I thought Franzman competed,” Villarreal said of the 5-foot-11 left-hander. “We just made a few errors behind him and that opened the floodgates. He competed in the innings that he pitched, but after that, we just kind of collapsed.”
Golden West visits Palomar on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Nonconference
Palomar 8, Golden West 1
SCORE BY INNINGS
Pal 000 300 311 – 8 13 1
GWC 000 001 000 – 1 4 3
Stilinovich, Palm (5), Vizcaino (7) and King, Colon (7); Franzman, Moses (7), Woinarowicz (9) and Moran. W – Palm, 1-0. L – Franzman, 0-1. Sv – Vizcaino (1). 2B – Carpenter (GW), Canjura (GW), King (P), Buck (P) 2, McKenna (P).
