Baseball team faces 18-3 defeat against Half Moon Bay

The+Eagles+huddle+in+the+first+inning+to+change+fielding+strategies.+After+the+huddle%2C+pitcher+Mark+Hu+%2812%29+retired+a+Half+Moon+Bay+batter+with+a+fastball.

Trisha Iyer

The Eagles huddle in the first inning to change fielding strategies. After the huddle, pitcher Mark Hu (12) retired a Half Moon Bay batter with a fastball.

by Trisha Iyer, Reporter

The varsity boys baseball team lost to the Half Moon Bay Cougars 18-3 last Thursday at home in the opening week of Peninsula Athletic League play.

In the first inning, the Eagles struggled to stop Half Moon Bay from scoring, allowing Cougar batters to repeatedly get on base and score ten runs. Harker responded with a run off a ball powered into left field by Ryan Field (9).

Nick Delfino (11) acknowledged that lineup changes from last year contributed to the team’s slow start this season. 

“We had a lot of seniors last year, with only three to four returning starters, so we have to fill in a lot of people that haven’t played before,” Nick said. “It’s going to take some adjustment. Plus, we moved up a league, so we’re playing harder opponents. This is going to be an adjustment year. I think most of it [will be] getting people experienced.”

In the next two innings, the Eagles defense picked up their play —  pitcher Mark Hu (12) retired three batters at the top of the second inning, and the fielding team tagged out many Half Moon Bay players before they reached home plate. 

This small victory pleased head coach Mike Delfino, who appreciated how the team’s promotion to a higher division following their CCS Championship victory last season has stretched the team positively, despite the increased challenge. 

“This season we’ll keep growing as a team,” Delfino said. “With each practice and every game, we’re a lot better than we were a month ago and will be a lot better a month from now. Sometimes, these teams we play against, they’re big and they’re fast, so [the games] are good learning experiences for us.”

The team loaded the bases in the third inning. Though not all three players reached home, Aaron Lo (12) scored one more run for the team, making it 10-2. The Eagles then lost steam. The team conceded runs to Half Moon Bay in the 4th, 6th, and 7th innings and scored a third run of its own in the 5th inning, ending the game with a final score of 18-3.

Nick remains optimistic about the rest of the season — he hopes to mentor the new players and passing down the knowledge he learned from last year’s CCS championship-winning seniors.