Wasted opportunities for Aberdeen led to the Bobcats’ demise against Centralia in a 5-1 loss to the Tigers in an Evergreen 2A Conference game at Ken Waite Field on Friday.
The Bobcats (0-2, 1-4) were able to get the leadoff man on base in three of the first four innings, and loaded the bases in the fifth and seventh innings. However, Aberdeen couldn’t come up with many timely hits and stranded a total of 12 runners.
“We just need some timely hitting and we will figure it out soon,” Aberdeen head coach Shon Schreiber said. “It is our timing, we are late on everything and we are hitting it to right field. Josh (Collett) threw well and we had some hits. It’s there, we just have to figure it out.”
Aberdeen’s tally of stranded runners hit three in the first inning alone. A hit-by-pitch and a walk gave the Bobcats runners, yet they couldn’t advance past second base.
In the third inning, Aberdeen started the inning with a double by CJ Oldham, but, once again, he stayed right at second as the next three batters popped out.
The Tigers were able to get all the offense they would need in the third inning. Centralia got a single from Hodges Bailey and Isaiah Trevino was able to bunt his way aboard before Joseph Pineda hit a single back up the middle to score both runners.
Collett was able to end the rally in the third with a pair of strikeouts, but Centralia rallied again in the fourth. Pineda once again delivered with runners on base, hitting a single with the bases loaded to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
Aberdeen got its lone run in the fifth, but also had perhaps its most egregious error on the diamond in the same inning. After Austin Lawrence earned a walk and CJ Oldham singled, Blake Swenson hit a ball back to the pitcher, who was unable to make a decision on which base to throw to and suddenly the bases were loaded for Kylan Touch. The junior catcher drove the ball to deep center field for a sacrifice fly to score Lawrence. As the Tigers threw the ball back in to the pitcher, an infielder faked the throw and held onto the ball. When the pitcher went to set for the pitch, the infielder tagged Oldham at second for the final out of the inning.
“We are just mentally not in the game in certain situations with the hidden ball trick at second base and things like that,” Schreiber said. “We aren’t executing. We aren’t playing the way we should be playing.”
Centralia’s final run came around on a walk with the bases loaded in the sixth.
Aberdeen rallied again in the seventh with two outs. Lawrence hit a slow roller and laid out to slide into first base ahead of the throw. CJ Oldham hit a ball deep into the hole at shortstop and was able to beat the throw moments later. Blake Swenson wore a pitch to load the bases, but Touch popped up to first base to end the rally and the game.
Aberdeen is off until after Spring Break when it travel to Chehalis on April 10.
Centralia 002 201 0 — 5 7 0 Aberdeen 000 010 0 — 1 6 1
Wood and Thomas; Collett, Timmons (5), H. Oldham (6) and Touch.
RBI: Centralia — Pineda 4, Aliff. Aberdeen — Touch. Doubles: Aberdeen — CJ Oldham, Touch, Collett. Three hits: Aberdeen — CJ Oldham.
Winning pitcher — Wood (three strikeouts, three walks). Losing pitcher — Collett (four strikeouts, two walks).
