The Pilot Point Bearcats opened their regular season Tuesday afternoon against the Howe Bulldogs and were handed their first loss, falling to the Bulldogs 10-1.
Despite a strong effort, the Bearcats couldn’t keep pace with the Bulldogs, falling behind early in the ballgame and struggling to generate runs against the Bulldogs’ defense.
“Our boys played hard,” head baseball coach Tyler Vernon said. “We were doing a lot of things right. The score didn’t reflect what we produced on the field, but if we give our team a little more time and practice, we’re going to be right where we want to be.”
Howe cracked the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning when Pilot Point’s starting pitcher Dawson David struck a batter with the bases loaded, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs picked up two more runs in the second inning after capitalizing on two miscues from the Bearcats’ defense, extending their lead to 3.
Fernando Marmolejo came in to relieve David on the mound and picked up a quick three-and-out in the third inning, but Howe continued to add to its lead in the fourth inning, crossing home plate two more times.
Pilot Point first baseman Luke Conner drove in the Bearcats only run of the day with a ground ball single that brought David Pickrel home, making the score 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
The Bulldogs’ defense clamped down for the remainder of the game, stifling the Bearcats’ while their offense padded the lead with 3 runs in the sixth inning and 2 more in the seventh inning to cap the win 10-1.
“Howe is very talented,” Vernon said. 'They came out ready to swing the bat, [and] we didn’t help ourselves on the mound in the first couple of innings, giving them a couple of free runs.”
Howe’s pitching staff led the way for the Bulldogs, holding Pilot Point to five hits, striking out 14 batters and allowing 1 run on the day.
Vernon said he was encouraged by the energy and effort he saw from the Bearcats despite the loss.
“They never gave up, and I was really proud of that,” he said. 'From the first pitch to the last pitch, those boys were engaged in the ball game. You couldn’t tell what the score was at the end with how hard they played. They were disappointed, of course, but they were excited to get back to work and fix what we did wrong.”
Staying positive and focused were the key points in Vernon’s postgame message to his team.
“We [highlighted] everything they did right, and everything they did wrong is very fixable,” he said. “When we get to practice, we just have to stay focused. The first game we played is not going to be a reflection of our season. If we keep up the hard work that we’re putting in, we’re going to be right where we want to be.”
Pilot Point will look to bounce back in its next matchup against Lindsay at 5 p.m. Monday at home.
