Skyline College’s baseball team won the game against Monterey Peninsula College with a score of 7-1 last Thursday, March 16.

The victory didn’t come in easy as the game started out slow and not too well for the Trojans. Up until the top of the fourth inning, the score was 0-1. However, things turned around during the bottom of the fifth inning when Cole Watts hit a home run into the right outfield, landing in the parking lot to tie the game to 1-1.

“This was awesome,” Watts said in a post-game interview. “This is my first game hitting since I am a pitcher and I am glad we were able to rebound off of it.”

As the game continued, the weather was looking better after an early rain shower which caused the field to be foggier than usual. During the bottom of the fifth, Head Coach Dino Nomicos got into a run-in with the umpire over what seemed to be a breaking ball for Ryan McSwain but was overruled by the umpire.

During the game, Monterey Peninsula’s Greg Salazar’s pitches hit two of Skyline’s players in the elbow, leading to automatic walks onto first base.

By the top of the sixth inning, the Trojans were leading 2-1. Felix Aberouette hit a double grounder into left outfield, allowing Aaron Albaum to score a run which brought the score to 3-1. At the bottom of the sixth inning, Trojan’s short stop Kyle Barret was up to bat with the bases loaded. He then managed to smack another home run, raising the score to 6-1.

“it feels good,” said Barret. “This is my seventh home run and it feels good to help the team to win.”

The peak of the game was during the bottom of the seventh when Harley Torres stole a base and made it to second while Chet Silveria was up to bat. At the top of the eighth, Trojans pitcher Joe Pratt was on a streak and struck out two players, making it impossible for them to get a base hit.

Just when the game seemed like too close to call, Aberouette smacked the ball straight into the center outfield, crippling the opposing team from reaching the ball and opened up windows for the Trojans to inch onto the bases. The Trojans ended the game 7-1 and their coach couldn’t be happier.

“I thought it was a good game,” Nomicos said. “Coming off from a tough loss on Tuesday, I think the guys responded and played well today and seems to be back on track.”

The Trojans’ overall record sits at 17-7 and will have a break after a two-game winning streak against the Lobos. Nomicos believed that the team had a great pre-season and they are ready for the state playoffs in May.

“We’re off to a really good start,” Nomicos said. “There [were] ups and downs over the last few weeks but that is just sports… As long as they play well, that is all I care about.”