TIGERS OUTGUNNED BY LINCOLN
Three Tokay High baseball players found ways to get on the base paths.
In the seventh inning of Tuesday’s Tri-City Athletic League game against Lincoln, the Tigers looked like they rediscovered their offensive groove that they had enjoyed in the last three games. But the visiting Trojans found their way to a 7-1 win over the Tigers at Zupo Field.
Trailing 7-0 in the final inning, Tokay (1-6 in the TCAL, 5-14) got its offense going with one out. Harrison Kurkjian, pinch-hitter Alberto Magallanes and Collin Drummond singled to load the bases.
After an infield fly gave Lincoln (6-1 in the TCAL, 126) its second out, Ryan Lew walked and sent Kurkjian home. But the Trojans ended the game on a deep fly ball to right field.
“Didn’t put enough together,” said Tokay coach Pat Macfarlane.
But offense wasn’t the reason for the Tigers’ limited opportunities against the Trojans. Instead, it was the Tigers’ five errors on defense. That led to four of the Trojans’ runs.
“That was it,” said Macfarlane of the errors. “We have to play defense, or we’re not going to win. I don’t know what else to say.”
Lincoln took advantage of one of the Tigers’ errors in the top of the second inning, which led to a 3-0 advantage. An infield throwing error, plus a base hit by Nikko Dowd, set the tone for the
Trojans.
Then the Trojans scored a run each in the third and fourth innings for a 5-0 lead. Zach Morgan singled, moved to second base on another Tiger error and third on a passed ball. Then he gave the Trojans a 4-0 lead when Samuel Bones singled to left field.
In the top of the fourth, Lincoln’s Michael Wanklin walked. On an attempted bunt by teammate Jahidi West, Wanklin moved to third when a Tokay infielder overthrew the ball to first base, putting runners at the corners. Then Alexander Low drove home Wanklin on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
Lincoln added its final two runs in the top of the fifth inning. A double by Kevin Gomez, and two more Tokay errors helped Gomez and Evan Nelson, who reached first base on one of the two errors, to home plate for a 7-0 score.
Before its final inning, Tokay showed some signs of its offense going. In the first, fourth and fifth innings, the Tigers had a hit each time. Ryan Lew doubled to the left field wall in the first and singled to left-center in the fifth.
Kurkjian (also 2-for-2) singled to left field and stole second base in the bottom of the fifth inning. But he was tagged out on a fielder’s choice. In the bottom of the sixth, Tokay’s Dylan Mahurin reached base on the Trojans’ only error of the game, fielding, with two outs. But Lincoln ended the Tigers’ offensive momentum on a strike out.
Last week, Tokay has scored a combined 14 runs in three games against defending league champion Tracy last week. The week prior, the Tigers were held to only two runs in a best-of-three series against St. Mary’s.
The Tigers finished with seven hits that included two each by Kurkjian and Lew. Lincoln only had five hits, but took advantage of the Tigers’ errors.
Bones made no bones about his performance on the mound for the Trojans. In six innings of work, Bones struck out four Tokay batters, walked one and allowed three hits.
Tokay was without the services of lead-off hitter and center fielder Cory Glasgow, who was out sick according to Macfarlane. Glasgow will be going to Humboldt State University this fall to play football for the Lumberjacks on a scholarship.
Tokay and Lincoln play their second game at the Trojans’ field on Thursday at 4 p.m.