Baseball: O’Dowd Downs SL 7-1, Playoffs Uncertain for Pirates

The varsity baseball team ran into a tough Bishop O’Dowd squad on Thursday evening at the , losing a rather one-side 7-1 league game.

The Pirates started off strong in their first at-bat with #17 Joey Marquez catching a single to break up a no-hitter. The Pirates would have no such luck in later innings, though.

The Dragon’s pitching seemed to be the defining factor of the game.

“We only had like three hits,” said first-year Pirates head coach Mark Palmore. “You’re not going to win very many games when you only have three hits.”

San Leandro’s inability to score was largely due to O’Dowd senior pitcher Joe Ross, who will be playing at UCLA next year. In the game Ross showcased why he was picked to play college ball, throwing a variety of pitches that included sliders, curveballs, and fastballs with speeds upwards of 90 mph.

“He’s not your typical high school pitcher,” Palmore said.

Palmore thought the Pirates played a solid game overall despite their trouble at the plate. He also said he was impressed with junior pitcher Alex Guerrero, who pitched a strong six out of seven innings for the Pirates.

“I think our guys came ready to play today. We had some defensive miscues, could have played some balls differently. I think they just went up against a guy that a lot of high schools are going to struggle against,” Coach Palmore remarked.

There is only one more game left for the Pirates, but the season is far from over. With a 5-6 league record, their final game against Castro Valley High is critical. A win against the Trojans could give them a shot at the NCS Division I playoffs.

“We’ll be out here Tuesday trying to play for a final spot in the playoffs. If we beat Castro Valley we’d be .500 in league, and that might qualify us for NCS,” Palmore said.

With a team full of seniors, the Pirates are itching to make NCS. But despite a hazy playoff picture, Coach Palmore is already looking forward to next year. Palmore says his team has the potential to come back better than ever.

The Pirates have a lot of talented young players on the junior varsity and varsity teams, led by a solid freshman class.

“We had 5 freshmen on varsity this year who started and played a lot. We’re coming back with experience,” Palmore said.

"All of these freshmen have gotten ample playing time. They’ve been in the mix, they’ve been in the situations. Next year is going to be a breeze to them,” the coach said.

Coach Palmore explained his vision to bring the Pirates to the top of the “baseball hierarchy” in the East Bay, and to turn the community on to the high school's team.

“I like to see people from the community coming out to our games. I love to see them come out. We’ve got some talented kids coming through this program and we just want to make sure they get the best experience they can,” Palmore said.

Come support the Pirates in their final game against Castro Valley next Tuesday, May 17th at 3:30 p.m. The varsity will be playing at , and the junior varsity will be at San Leandro High.