By Ron Smith
January 31, 2020
 
(GLENDALE, Ariz.) Westmont Baseball (1-3) lost both of its games today at the Coach Calderone Invitational. The Warriors fell 6-1 to Antelope Valley (4-2) in the first game, then lost 7-4 to #19 Lewis-Clark State (2-1) of Idaho.
 
"We are not accustomed to losing, and it is not something we are ever going to be accepting of," said Westmont head coach Robert Ruiz. "The reality is that we are inexperienced and we need to grow and we need to learn. That is why we are out here and why we are playing the teams we are playing. We are preparing for our season.
 
"We have two choices: we can sit back and feel sorry for ourselves, or we can continue to learn from our mistakes and grow and get better as a team – and we will. I love the guys in this program and I know they care about the right things. Over time we will be a much better version of what you are seeing right now."

Antelope Valley scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning, but Westmont answered back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at one. With one away, Travis Vander Molen hit a deep ball to dead-away center field and rounded the bases for what Westmont hoped would be an inside-the-park home run.
 
After some consultation, however, the umpires ruled the ball unplayable and sent Vander Molen back to second base with a ground rule double. One out later, Alex Stufft claimed the previously denied tally by doubling down the right field line and driving in Vander Molen.
 
Unfortunately, the Warriors did not score again. The Pioneers, on the other hand, scored two runs in the third and two more in fourth before tacking on another in the seventh.
 
"We are not getting the job done," acknowledged Ruiz. "We are not playing clean baseball. We are making too many errors and we are too inconsistent at the plate. When we fix that, and eliminate some free passes on the hill, we will be a different team. We know what we need to do, but there is no substitute for experience. The more experience these guys get, the better they are going to get as this season goes on."
 
Left-handed freshman Ryan Humphreys took the loss for the Warriors in his first collegiate start. He pitched three and one-third innings allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits. Humphreys struck out five and walked two.
 
Eric Olson pitched the remaining five and two-third innings, giving up one run on three hits, striking out four and walking three.
 
In the game against Lewis-Clark State, junior-transfer Jameson Kruger made his first start as a Warrior. He pitched six innings, giving up three runs on three hits, striking out eight and walking two.
 
"Jamie set the tone in the second game and had a great first start for us," said Ruiz. "Beyond just having a great start, there was leadership involved in the way he carried himself today. We needed a guy who could pitch with a little bit more tempo and with more energy, and he did that. I was impressed with his demeanor. LC State is a great program and I thought Jamie was effective and did a really nice job."
 
Lewis-Clark State scored a pair of runs in the second inning to take an early lead. In the bottom of the third, Westmont cut that lead to just one on a solo home run by Andrew Bayard.
 
LC State scored again in the top of the fourth. However, Westmont responded with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game at three runs apiece. In the fifth inning, Taylor Garcia delivered a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Bayard from third. Bayard had reached on a single to right field, then took second when Brady Renck walked. Both Bayard and Renck moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch.
 
In the sixth inning, Devin Perez drove the ball over the right field fence to tie the game at three.
 
"Devin had really good at bats," said Ruiz. "I thought he did a nice job. Drew has had a rough start, but had a great refocus, got himself centered and had a really good game against probably the best pitching staff we have seen yet."
 
Bayard went three for three in the second game, scored three times and recorded an RBI and a walk. Perez went two for four with a run scored and an RBI.
 
Things fell apart for the Warriors in the top of the eighth when Lewis-Clark State scored four runs on four hits to take a 7-3 advantage. Things could have been worse, except for the heads-up play of freshman catcher Simon Reid. After scoring its four runs, LC State still had runners on the corners with just one out. Reid, however, picked off the runner at third, then picked off the runner at first to end the inning.
 
"Simon Reid, a true freshman, showed the fierce competitor in him today," noted Ruiz. "He was winning strikes behind the plate and he threw out a couple of guys. He played with an intensity that you would expect out of an upperclassman. I think that played into Jamie's ability to have the start that he had with Simon behind the plate. I felt like Simon played like a leader. If that is a sign of what we are going to get in the future, we are pretty fortunate to have him in our program."
 
Westmont started a two-out rally in the ninth inning that brought the tying run to the plate. After Bayard walked, Renck beat out an infield single, colliding with the first baseman when he was pulled off the bag by the throw. Garcia then singled up the middle to score Bayard and move Renck to third.
 
"Garcia had a tough at-bat in that last inning and gave us a chance to extend it," said Ruiz."
 
Unfortunately, the Warriors did not bring any more runs across the plate before the inning, and the game, came to an end.
 
"It is so early in the season. This team is going to look a lot different in March," said Ruiz. "We need to stay focused on growing day to day. If we can do that, we will be just fine. I'm not worried about it one bit."
 
The Warriors will conclude play in the Coach Calderone Invitational tomorrow morning with a game against Southwest (N.M.). First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. local time (8:00 a.m. PST).