The LMC baseball team had a nail biting opening game to a double header Saturday Feb. 4. They took on the Fresno Rams in their pre-season game. These back to back games were a result of having to cancel their Friday game the previous day due to the baseball field being flooded from the rainstorm Thursday.  First pitch was at 10:30 a.m, and the teams remained scoreless until the third inning. The Mustangs gave up five runs in the top of the third, but with their fighting spirit they managed to make it a one run game by scoring in the fourth and sixth innings. In a personal account of the resulting first game, player Jason Silva comments that, “We had one rough inning that summed up our loss for the game, but we came back at the end and fought pretty hard. This next game we’re gonna prove what type of team we are, and it’s going to take all 35 guys for that.” 

Usually it is a sports player’s nightmare to play two games in a row, especially with the fact that the rain started to come down again at the end of the first game, resulting in the teams having to cover the pitcher’s mound and batter’s box with tarps. Mr. Silva, however, thinks otherwise. “We got to see their full lineup and a couple of their arms, so we are definitely more prepared now and can use a different approach overall. The story is that it’s really hard to win two games in one day, so the Rams are going to be pushed up against the wall and will have to fight hard because we are coming hard and want to split the deck.” 

After a half hour delay, the second game started at 2PM. The Rams and Mustangs fought hard, trading inch for inch in speed, skill, and wit. One highlight of the game was when LMC first baseman Mike Weber took away a hit with a full split in order to keep his foot on the base and catch the ball at the same time. Before the game could end, however, the game was called by the umpires after a lengthy discussion with the coaches, deeming the continuous rain and risk of damaging the field too high to let the game continue. 

Coach Matt Lisle shares his thoughts on the two games, speculating that, “Fresno is the Top 10 team in the state. There’s no moral victories, but I believe that after game one we were able to walk away and think ‘Hey, we were a better team there and had a chance at winning that game’. Game two was frustrating because our guys were ready to win, and I think we would have won that baseball game if the rain hadn’t come in, which made things hard.” 

The unfinished ending of game two was a let down for everyone, and Coach Lisle sums up the thoughts of everyone on the team by commenting that, “We are just disappointed we didn’t get to play especially when we had the momentum and had one of our best pitchers on the mound.” There was no score for the second game, and the game itself won’t count towards either of the teams. The future is unknown on whether the second game will result in a rematch, as Fresno is very far away and it is unlikely either team will want to travel for a rematch.