It's one game at a time for a young Warrior team

MATTAWA — Wahluke’s return to prep varsity baseball has not been easy, but it appears the program is back in the SCAC East to stay.

Many of the games have been lopsided, but in spite of a tough 1-12 record, the 22 boys who turned out in March still are on the team.

The latest outing for the Warriors was a doubleheader Saturday at Connell. The team went down 11-1 in the opener, and was shut out 11-0 in the nightcap.

The Warriors have the one win under their belts and haven’t been able to generate many runs, but coach Russ Randelman says there are small victories to cheer.

One came in the top of the fourth inning when three players carried out their assignments to drive a run across the dish in the first game of the twin bill.

Martin Gonzalez ignited the effort with a two-out line drive single to left field. Then he broke for second at the front end of a hit-and-run. Sergio Pineda stroked a single to right through the hole vacated by the second baseman, and Gonzalez advanced to third.

After a pitch and pickoff attempt, the Warriors pulled off a double steal. Pineda headed for second drawing a throw from the catcher. He slid safely under the tag, and a moment later Gonzalez raced home.

“It’s things like that that keep us going,” Randleman said. “We’re learning to play baseball every day.”

The play nearly ended before the score when Gonzalez stepped into a chuck hole about 15 feet from the plate and went to the ground. “Throbbing ankle and all, he scrambled and crawled to the plate ahead of the ball,” Randleman said.

Wahluke’s lone win was a 16-0 non-league shutout over Granger. Everybody on the team hit the ball, with Brennan Zirker and Angel Granados going 3-for-4.

The highlight of that 5-inning shortened contest was a perfect game thrown by Pineda. He struck out 12 batters and had a hand in all 15 Granger outs.

Pineda is the team’s star. The 6-foot-3-inch hurler and all-around athlete, has a good fastball and a curve that freezes batters at the plate.

“Unfortunately, we make too many errors,” Randleman said. “He can’t get off the mound.”

Pineda is the epitome of a team leader, Randleman said. He pitches hard and plays hard but never complains about the shortcomings of other players.

“He knows we are building a program and he’s doing all he can to help us do that,” Randleman said.

The second inning Saturday was a reflection of the season. The first Connell batter hit a can of corn to right. A Warrior outfielder did everything right on the play but forgot to close his glove. The ball hit the pocket and fell to the ground.

With two outs and a runner at third, Pineda induced and easy hopper the shortstop who fielded the ball cleanly and bounced a one-hopper over the glove of the first baseman, who was stretched to his limit.

Two more runs scored before Pineda got the final out on a curve ball. It clipped the inside of the plate as the batter watched it go by.

Pineda has recorded 53 strikeouts in less than 40 innings. He’s had the only long ball on the team, a run-producing triple off the centerfield fence at Cle Elum.

“We do things in every game that tell me the kids are learning,” Randleman said. “We’re growing by small steps.”

The coach praised seniors David Ponce, Aaron Martinez and Jesse Heredia for their leadership, but gave the biggest props to senior right fielder Jorge Godoy.

Godoy was on the teams that played a JV schedule for three years after Wahluke reintroduced baseball. He never missed a practice Randleman said.

Godoy won’t play baseball after high school. He will chase an engineering degree at the University of Washington, having scored 1,400 on his SATs.

“He’s as smart as they come. The whole team is proud of him,” Randleman said. “He works so hard on the field and in the classroom.”

Randleman praised utility player Granados too, saying he’s a good hitter and will take on any defensive assignment. When starting catcher Charlie Garza went down for two weeks, Granados stepped in without any experience.

“He was sort of thrown in the fire, but he learned quickly,” Randleman said.

Transfer Travis Anderson turned out for the team as an experienced second baseman, but Randleman needed him in centerfield.

Saturday Travis drew a bead on a medium fly ball, caught it and threw to second base on the run to keep a base runner there from advancing.

The next outing for the Warriors will be at home this Saturday against Warden.