Cal’s streak at four as Leps suffer first defeat

By JOSE NEGRON

jnegron@yourmvi.com

It took some time for the California baseball team to get any sort of momentum going this spring. 

Struggling at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths, the Trojans opened the season with three straight losses – two at the hands of Carmichaels and another in a non-section bout with Ringgold. During that time, head coach Lou Pasquale admitted his team wasn’t playing up to its potential. 

Fast forward a week, and things are looking better for the boys in burgundy and gold. 

The Trojans are now a game over .500 and have won four consecutive contests following their latest triumph, an 8-7 non-section victory over Class 4A Belle Vernon Area Thursday at Malden Yards. 

California (4-3), which finished with seven hits and just one error, trailed 5-2 entering the bottom of the fourth inning before scoring six runs in the fourth and fifth to take the lead for good. 

“We’re not a bad ball team, it was just the way we were playing mentally was atrocious,” Pasquale said. referring to his team’s sluggish start to the campaign. “Sometimes it just takes a day off or a talking to in order to switch gears.” 

Belle Vernon Area (4-1) took a few different leads in the early going. The Leps led 2-1 after the first and 3-2 after three frames before extending that lead in the fourth. Nevertheless, Pasquale didn’t see his team just sit back and settle for another defeat. Instead, the Trojans took matters into their own hands. 

“We got down a little bit, but the heads didn’t drop like they did the last couple of times when we got down,” Pasquale said. “Playing a Class 4A team that is probably going to make the playoffs, that was pretty big.” 

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Friday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.