Seawolves shine-in series win

STAR// Dennae Taylor

Nik Kamages pitched seven scoreless innings during Friday’s 1-0 win.

Sonoma State’s Baseball team walked away from their clash with CSU Dominguez Hills on top, winning three out of their four games. Despite the best efforts of the rain to halt the series after the first game on Thursday, the teams were able to battle it out on the Santa Rosa JC’s field on Friday. The Seawolves came away victorious in both games. This was followed the very next day with a doubleheader. The games were split on that occasion. It’s coming at a vital time for the Seawolves as their season has been a mixed bag so far. This series win now brings them to 6-12 in CCAA(California Collegiate Athletic Association) play and 12-14 overall.

“The biggest change for us was coming together as a group and elevating the standard that we played at because we knew how much more capable we were as a [pitching staff],” said senior Jake Dent.

The first game started in favor of the Toros, who kept the game tight. The Toros had a one run lead all the way until a four run eighth inning catapulted the Seawolves in front. The competitiveness of the two teams would be showcased even further in game two where neither team managed to score until a walk off single from Mark Hernandez lit up the crowd in the ninth inning. A strong pitching performance from Nik Kamages was a huge part of the Seawolves keeping their opponents from scoring and this trend was not dwindling away anytime soon. 

With momentum in their favor going into game three, Seawolves were shocked to see how quickly their opponents retaliated by opening the score in the first inning. The two stayed locked in a one run margin until finally the sixth inning resulted in a breakthrough for the Seawolves. Back-to-back singles from Sean Pauly and Cooper Callison would start that sixth inning brilliantly, followed by four more. The six runs left their opposition stunned, sticking in the game for one more inning until conceding another four runs in the next.

Finally, game four arrived. With the series already being won by the Seawolves, the tempo was undoubtedly lessened. A well fought final game gave the Toros their first win of the series as a consolation for their travels. The 6-3 win for the Toros stood only as a reminder about how hard the Seawolves had to fight for their previous victories.

With much of the season still to play, it will be crucial  that the Seawolves take this series as a confidence boost into their upcoming matches. A trifecta of Cal State clashes await them on the horizon. A four game series against both Cal State LA and Cal State San Marcos as well as a double header against Cal State East Bay. All of these games will be played in the span of less than two weeks, therefore the team hopes this series win is the first of many to come.