Mesa College defeated Imperial Valley for a third time in a row on April 24, finishing their last home game of the season 8-4 with some explosive plays, including two home runs by Mesa’s Hunter Kaul and Jacob Lanza.
Mesa started with a strong second inning by scoring four runs, kicked off by Dylan Towning. Imperial Valley pitcher David Lara felt the pressure, allowing two walks and enabling Mesa to secure an early lead. Imperial Valley’s Angel Hernandez was not going to let Mesa run away with the game, however, hitting a single and then stole second, bringing Daniel Zazueta in to score.
In the fourth inning, Mesa showed strong teamwork when infielder Alejandro Leyva-Ramos assisted in a double play, followed by a clean strikeout by pitcher Finn Royer to close the half. Imperial Valley had the opportunity to perform their own double play, but couldn’t complete it. Despite this, outfielder Leonardo Veliz caught a fly ball to close out the inning with no runs for either team.
In the following inning Imperial Valley ties up the score 4-4 in part thanks to another steal by Hernandez and an impressive triple by Zazueta. Not to be outdone, after the swap Hunter Kaul hit a home run to once again take the lead for Mesa. This was echoed in the sixth inning when Jacob Lanza hit another home run.
The sixth inning was a tough one for Imperial Valley, pitcher Antonio Gonzalez was swapped in and struggled to get his footing at the start throwing four balls in a row. The following two halves were no easier for either team, as both Mesa pitcher Travis Van Dyke and Gonzalez executed a 1-2-3 inning respectively.
The eight inning saw another swap from Imperial Valley putting Diego Amial on the mound after Mesa secured a run and all bases. At the top of the ninth with Mesa up by four runs Zazueta steps up to bat hoping to replicate his hits in the previous innings, but pitcher Matthew Fimbres’s fastballs proved too much, closing the game with a strike out 8-4.
Lanza was proud of his team’s performance, but also pleased with the bonds he’s formed with his team. The pitcher has been on the team for two years while he’s been working towards earning his degree in kinesiology. The other Olympians made sure to congratulate him on his home run as he jogged back to the dugout.
“Whether we win or lose, just having time to spend with our guys and going through the ups and downs together, that has been the best part.” Lanza said.
While it’s easy to be in high spirits after a three game winning streak, Imperial Valley pitching coach George Villanueva showed pride in his team through the defeat. Villanueva explained that they really wanted to win their last game, but in baseball, even with strong defense, the other team can always get a runaway inning and win the game.
He gave Mesa credit for their good performance and wished them luck in the playoffs. For his team however, he was hopeful for the next season and to see how the team would continue to develop.
“Good game, good week, good season for both teams. Now we just gotta wait for next year.” Villanueva said.
