Eastside High Dismantles Hawthorne in Impressive Fashion

By Trach Kercsmar and Dylan Pierce

Quick Start

The Rams got off to a blazing start as they went through their entire batting lineup in the first inning. Nick Eichel started the momentum for the Rams when he hit a line-drive to left field, resulting in a triple. Frank Mercado Jr. would continue the dominance for the Rams with a double and would ultimately bring Jason Osbourne home. That would not be the end of the hitting marathon Eastside would display, but the Rams would go up 6-0 at the end of the first inning.

Eastside’s Offense

After an explosion in the first inning, the Rams offense did not slow down. Mercado Jr. opened the bottom of the second inning with a single into left field. Pinch runner Amari Johnson stole second and Maui Schwartz followed by drawing a walk. Eastside feasted on Hawthorne’s poor pitching, using walks and wild pitches to navigate the bases. The Rams scored four runs in the second inning to take a 10-0 lead into the third.

Wild pitch scores runner. 10-0 Eastside as #24 reaches base on a walk.

— Liana Handler (@HandlerLiana) March 30, 2023

 

The bottom of the third started identically to the bottom of the second, with a Mercado single to left, a stolen base by Johnson and a walk drawn by Schwartz. The Rams were aggressive on the bases in the third, successfully performing a double steal to get runners in scoring position. Hawthorne got out of a bases-loaded jam with a pair of tag-outs at home plate to end the inning. This would be Eastside’s only scoreless inning of the game.

Comeback Attempt

At the top of the fourth, the Rams would bring in a new pitcher and rotate catchers. It appeared that Hawthorne found some quick success off of the rotation, as they would tally up four quick runs. Wild pitches were the main reason that Eastside let the Hornets crawl back into this game. There were a total of four wild pitches in the top of the fourth to let Hawthorne rally back.

In the bottom of the fourth, Eastside would find their groove again while tallying six more runs onto the board. Like Hawthorne, the Rams would score most of their runs off of wild pitches resulting in the batters moving forward. There were a total of five wild pitches in a row for Hawthorne, putting Eastside in the lead with a score of 16-4.

Ball lands somewhere in foul territory after pick-off attempt. Runner on first steals second, third, and home. 16-4 Eastside going into the 5th.

— Liana Handler (@HandlerLiana) March 30, 2023

Head coach Tyler Rushing was proud of the effort his team displayed.

“We had a game plan coming in,” he said. “We just stuck to it, and the guys believed in it. They just leaned on themselves.”

Mercy Rule

The game would end in the top of the fifth as the Rams met the mercy rule guidelines. Eastside pitcher Rowan McDonald would close the game out for the Rams, as he struck out one of the Hornets remaining batters, and let his defense take care of the rest.