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Cathie Lawrence

Mike Alexander pitches for the win.

Los Medanos College Mustangs defeated Mendocino College with a final of 7-2 last Thursday.

Mike Alexander started at pitcher for LMC while the Mendocino Eagles went with Thomas Sertic.

Alexander dominated and pitched a complete game for his second win on the year allowing seven hits, two earned runs, with five strikeouts and only one walk.

“The guy on the mound Alexander really had it goin’ and it was a tough day for us offensively” said Mendocino Head Coach Matt Gordon.

The Eagles offense went against the Mustangs on the wrong day as Alexander was in a groove, but LMC’s pitching wasn’t the only factor helping the cause for a win.

Tremendous defense and terrific hitting backed up the pitching performance.

In the first inning alone, the Mustangs tallied two runs against Mendocino’s Sertic, while having efficient fielding on defense.

Mustang lead off hitter, Jared Ambuehl, started it off with a single, followed by a bunt single from Ryan Welsh. With a man on first and second, Jerome Hill laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both of them a base. The next batter, catcher Ethan Utler, singled bringing in both runners to score.

Ambuehl got his second hit in the next inning and two batters later Hill got hit by a pitch to put him on first base. With Ambuehl on third, Hill stole second base and Mendocino catcher Jacob Royer overthrew the ball into the outfield allowing Ambuehl to score easily.

LMC quickly scored three runs in the first two innings, but the Eagles rebounded in the third to close the gap.

Nicholas Agliolo and Dylan Malone notched base hits to put two runners on for the Eagles, and a wild pitch allowed Agliolo to advance to third. The next batter, Nate Gadsby, hit a double down the third base line bringing both runners and the only two runs of the game for the Eagles.

Mendocino had a change in pitching in the bottom of the third from Sertic to Domenic Selmi. Selmi didn’t have an answer for the offensive onslaught from the LMC hitters either.

Four runs came in the third for LMC, doubling the runs scored by the Eagles in that same inning. The score at the end of the third inning would hold up to be the final score of the game.

“For the first time all year, this was a day where we did all three things pretty well. Pitched obviously, played defense like we have been, and we swung it,” said Los Medanos Head Coach Anthony D’Albora.

“Days like today, it’s so much easier because it’s simple, clean baseball. It was impressive to watch how good they were executing the game,” he added.

A home win for the Mustangs like this shows how well the team can play on any given day.

The win evened the Mustangs conference record at 3-3 and 9-9 overall, but they have since fallen to 3-5 and 9-11 after being swept in a two-game series by first place Napa Valley College.

The Mustangs return home to face Solano College Saturday, Mar. 21.