STORY AND PHOTO BY JONATHAN SINTORA, STAFF WRITER
Cypress College Baseball struggled to gain momentum as they finished off March just 3-6 in Orange Empire conference play (California Community College Athletic Association).
In a 3-game series against Fullerton College, the Chargers were swept by their conference rivals. The Chargers were outscored 28-18 in the series, with their highest-scoring game coming in the final game of the series. Despite a late push, the Chargers dropped the finale 13-12, bringing their losing streak to 4 games.
The Chargers bounced back a few days later with a 16-6 victory over last-place Irvine Valley College. Irvine Valley returned with a win as the Chargers looked to take the rubber match the following day. A two-run seventh inning proved to be the difference as the Chargers came out with a series victory against Irvine Valley.
Momentum quickly diminished for the Chargers as they were swept by Golden West College this past weekend. Despite averaging 5 runs over the weekend, the team’s three straight losses brought their conference record down to 3-9.
Head Coach Anthony Hutting described the team’s struggles over the past month, “It’s been a tough month for us. We came into conference play playing very well. Since we’ve gotten into it, it’s been a bit of a tough stretch for us.”
The offense for the Chargers has remained consistent, with the team averaging seven runs per game in March. Hutting said, “We’ve been in a lot of games. We just haven’t found a way to win a lot of them.” Hutting continued, “We look forward to hitting the reset button over the next few weeks and playing better baseball.”
While addressing the team’s struggles, Hutting explained the issues as “not playing complete baseball games.” Hutting continued, “There’s been moments where some aspects of the game are played very well, while others let us down.”
Despite a difficult March, Hutting is optimistic that the adversity will help build the team’s character as they finish the season and gear up for next season. Hutting said, “All of the adversity we’re facing is happening for a reason… It’s when you find out about how your team handles the situation, the character of the team, and I think we’ll be better in the long run.
The Chargers look to bounce back this week as they face Orange Coast College in a three-game series.
