Gaucho baseball back in season
Opening its season against West Los Angeles in Saturday’s double-header, Saddleback’s baseball team lost its first game in a pitching duel, 3-2, but bounced back with a 9-3 victory in the second.
The first game was all about pitching. The Oilers’ Andrew Plotkin and the Gauchos’ James Condon held their opponents scoreless for five innings. After Condon was removed in the sixth inning, the Gauchos committed three errors, which led to three Oilers runs. The Gauchos responded by scoring two runs to remove Plotkin from the game, but their burst fell short in the 3-2 loss.
Saddleback’s bats woke up in the second game, taking advantage of four Oiler errors. Outfielder Mike Cole went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. Brandon Loftus and Trevor Whyte contributed with two hits each. Sophomore pitcher Drew Jacobsen earned the victory for the Gauchos, pitching a solid 2 2/3 innings.
Saddleback will face Barstow Feb. 2 at Taft High School at 3 p.m.