Frustrations Boil Over in Palos Verdes Loss to West

In a long season, full of frustrating losses, the Palos Verdes Sea Kings baseball game Friday against the West Warriors may be at the top of the list.

Unable to find any offensive continuity against Warriors starter Collin Nelson and a costly error by first baseman Sam Carmack in the third inning doomed the Sea Kings Friday, losing, 1-0, to the Warriors at home and falling to 3-5 in the Bay League.

Scoring the only run of the game, West third baseman Juan Correa hit an infield single and then stole second, before an error by Carmack off the bat of Johnny Palmer plated Correa.

While Carmack couldn’t handle the bad bounce on the ball in the third, the Sea Kings could have given up more than one run in the inning had it not been for a diving catch by right fielder Chad Mensinger to begin the inning.

“We didn’t put pressure on them defensively. West is going to win a league championship because they put pressure on the other team and we didn’t,” Sea Kings head coach Evan Fujinaga said. “It is just another thing in a frustrating season.”

An aggravating loss for the Sea Kings, Fujinaga believes the loss came down to fundamentals.

“Traditionally we are a team that prides ourselves on being fundamentally sound, and to be honest, we aren’t fundamentally sound this year,” said Fujinaga.

While Palos Verdes did manage six hits against Nelson, the Sea Kings couldn’t plate any runs, partly because of costly mistakes on the base paths.

In the second inning, after Jeremy Barth hit an infield single and took second on a wild pitch, he was picked off of second with only one out.

“That is why we are losing. I made a stupid play right there,” Barth said. “That should never happen and that is the difference in a one run ball game.”

Barth got his second of three hits on the day in the fifth inning, a single to left field, before Walker Marks came in as a pinch runner. Marks took off on the first pitch to Connor Averill, yet couldn’t beat the throw and was tagged out, halting any rally.

It proved to be a costly out, after Averill hit a double to center field, which could have plated Marks.

Besides Barth and Chris Markulis, who had two hits, the rest of the Sea Kings lineup went a combined 1-for-19.

“Nelson threw the ball on the outer half and our guys weren’t taking what he gave them,” Fujinaga said. “He did a great job of commanding his stuff away.”

Sea Kings starter Matt Smith, in 52/3 innings of work, gave up just one run (none earned) on four hits, while walking three and striking out three. The righty now moves to 5-3 on the season.

Smith got into trouble early Friday, when he walked the first two West batters to begin the game, however the righty bore down and got three consecutive outs to end the threat.

After giving up a lead-off double to Austin Watters and then walking Tom Bray, Smith was taken out of the game in the sixth and Carmack got the last out of the inning to get out of a bases loaded jam.

“Matt battled," Fujinaga said. “I don’t think he was at his best, but that is the sign of a competitor and a good pitcher. He gave us chance.”

Commanding his fastball and fooling the Warriors with his off-speed pitches, Smith said he had one specific intention while on the mound.

“With our defense, I was just trying to pitch to contact,” said Smith.

With the loss, the Sea Kings now fall to 18-10 on the season and 0-2 against West, after losing, 8-6, Wednesday on the road. Meanwhile, the Warriors look ready to capture a Bay League title, now with a 7-1 record.

“We just aren’t putting it together and getting timely hits,” Barth said. “We are just making too many mistakes.”