The Pumas baseball team walked into a crucial league game against Overlake on March 24 with a 1-3 record, looking to get back on track after a 9-0 loss to Ingraham.
“Nobody likes to lose, and we just have to do a better job,” sophomore outfielder/pitcher Caleb Goldberg said.
Junior pitcher Owen Bradley threw a no-hitter through the first six innings, and the Pumas led 1-0 off a single from senior utility infielder/pitcher Hawthorne Moody, who scored Bradley from second.
“Each of the top three guys in our order struck out twice, and the lack of production from us is unacceptable,” senior first baseman/outfielder Jasper Schmidt said.
Overlake came back and tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, when a Bradley wild pitch squeaked past junior catcher Grady Stone.
“Owen was dealing on the bump, and the least we can do to help him is play solid defense behind him,” Schmidt said.
Bradley was then taken out, having given up one run across seven innings, with four hit-by-pitches, one walk, one hit and seven strikeouts.
“He was approaching the pitch limit, but the guys who were coming up hadn’t given us much trouble, so we gambled and kept him in and it didn’t go our way,” coach Rebecca Moe said.
Ninth grader Cole Waterman then replaced Bradley, starting by pitching three shutout innings with one hit and one strikeout, assisted by a sliding catch by senior outfielder Thomas Hamilton in the bottom of the ninth.
“With the pitching staff that we have, we should win every game if we score three runs. We need more baserunners, and we need to cash in,” Moe said. “Cole showed a lot of maturity and did a great job.”
The UPrep bats came alive in the next inning, as Bradley drew a leadoff walk, but was then picked off at second. Schmidt then hit a double off the wall.
“I was hunting for a fastball, and I got what I wanted and turned on it,” Schmidt said.
Overlake then intentionally walked Moody, and gave up a single to Stone to load the bases.
“We should have scored more in this situation, especially in a marathon game like this,” Moe said.
Waterman cashed in for the Pumas, hitting a sacrifice fly that scored Schmidt from third.
“That was a great play, but we still had to score more, and we left those guys on base,” Goldberg said.
UPrep led 2-1 going into the bottom of the 11th.
“The lack of run support we generated was unacceptable,” Moe said.
Before long, Overlake had the bases loaded and tied the game on the wild pitch. They were then sent home when a ground ball snuck past a diving Moody, sealing a 3-2 victory for Overlake.
“He’s not expected to make that play, and it’s just a terrible way to lose,” Schmidt said.
The Pumas then prepared to play Overlake once more two days later, with Moody on the mound, but the game was rescheduled for Thursday due to weather.
“I hope the guys take these lessons and learn from them,” Moe said. “We get another shot. Overlake can’t hit, so we just need to put enough runs across.”
Overlake are the defending state champions, and Moe and the team understand the importance of these two early-season games.
The evening did not start well for the Pumas, as Overlake scored on an inside-the-park home run on the first pitch. UPrep then responded with a single up the middle by Stone that scored Bradley from second.
After an error and a balk, Overlake was leading 3-1 to end the top of the third inning.
“We didn’t have the best start, but we got things under control,” Moe said.
Despite this, Moody was able to rebound. He finished the day having pitched a complete game with two earned runs, one walk, one hit-by-pitch, four hits and eight strikeouts.
“Hawthorne is incredibly talented,” Moe said. “I feel like every time he’s pitching we have a shot.”
Moody got a confidence boost in the top of the third, when he and Stone worked together to catch an Overlake runner stealing home.
UPrep then drew closer in the bottom of the fourth, when a single by ninth grade infielder Noah Keppler scored Waterman from third. Keppler finished with three hits, a walk and a run batted in.
The next inning, Bradley was thrown out while attempting to steal home to tie the game.
“Sometimes, we make those tough calls in the moment and it just doesn’t pay off,” Moe said.
Overlake put on two more runs in the top of the seventh, and the Pumas’ subsequent rally was snuffed out. This leaves the team with a 1-5 record as of March 27, as they look forward to a game against Cedar Park Christian.
