Baseball Recap: De Anza Comes Up Short

De Anza had lost eight straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 2-12-1 to make it nine. They fell just short of the Salesian College Preparatory Pride by a score of 6-5. The Dons were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Pride apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in April of 2023.

Ty Willson was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. Willson was even better at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.

Willson wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jason Miles, who went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. Daniel Sheppard was another, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.

As for Salesian College Preparatory, the victory snapped their losing streak at 15 games and leaves them with a 2-16 record. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Like De Anza, Salesian College Preparatory also got a great game from a two-way player: Evan Vela. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Vela was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Junior Rodriguez, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Micah Sakita also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: De Anza beat Salesian College Preparatory by a score of 7-1 on Friday.