With both experienced and rookie players on the roster, last year’s second-place Mustangs, who overcame the odds to defeat the No.1 seeded College of San Mateo, hope to repeat that success and more.

“This year’s group is a younger group with a lot of new faces from last year so there will be a lot of opportunities early for us to learn a lot about ourselves,” said head coach Anthony D’Albora.

To do that, the 2018 Stangs had one of their first scrimmage games  Friday against Modesto Junior College. Despite losing a close 3-2 game to the Pirates, the team is determined to learn from preseason mistakes in the preseason.

It wouldn’t have been a LMC home game without the team’s traditional B.O.F. (balls on fire) pregame huddle chant after the National Anthem. On the mound was sophomore right-handed pitcher Austin Cannedy making his first start of the season on the mound.

Cannedy started strong earning a swinging strikeout and not allowing a hit in the first two innings. The Stangs however, wouldn’t get their first hit until the bottom of the second when freshman utility player Jason Bray got a base hit off an infield error yet was called out at second base after a failed attempt to extend a single to a double.

First blood was drawn by the Modesto Pirates with a three-run lead at the top of the third inning with little offense by the Mustangs.

Things started to pick up in the fourth after freshman pitcher Dominic Arias took over the mound and grabbed two swinging strikeouts. Sophomore infielder Jason Ochoa ripped a single up the middle. Meanwhile teammate Myles Coston got them on the board with an important double that allowed Ochoa to score from first.

Despite the fact the Stangs defense and pitching was keeping the Modesto’s offense quiet, they were still unable to overcome the two-run gap and gain control of the game.

There was a glimpse of hope after a Jack Downing walk and a Jason Bray single, when second baseman Jose Vasquez reached first base off an error that cut the deficit by a run.

Yet that was the last run of the game despite the Stangs continuing effort, making the final score 3-2 after nine innings.

“Obviously the final scores/results weren’t what we wanted,” said D’Albora. “The beginning of the season is about working hard to compete and figuring out a lot about ourselves and how we will play together and as long as we continue to sharpen and get better every day we are moving in the right direction.”

LMC will be heading to Chabot College for their next game Tuesday, Feb. 6. For more information on the LMC baseball team visit www.losmedanos.edu/baseball/.