After an 0-2 away series in Palm Springs, the Pirates returned home to Scolinos Field at Cal Poly Pomona to battle the Bucs.
The struggling Pirates were still looking for their second win of the season, but they wouldn’t find it today. The games were the Pirates’s most impressive in weeks, but they still fell short, losing 3-2.
The Pirates have not been able to put up nine innings of quality pitching in a row in most of their games this year. Today they did.
Wyatt Johnson started the game, throwing three scoreless innings to set the tone.
Evan Evita hit a double to center field to score one in the third and give the Pirates a lead. The Bucs responded with a two-run rally in the top of the fourth.
The Pirates were not able to respond immediately, but they did find another run in the fifth to level the score.
On the mound, Anthony Vasquez showcased his mastery once again. Vasquez has been the Pirates’ best pitcher thus far, and he added three no-hit innings in this outing.
Chad Green held the tie before being replaced by Garrett Patterson, who was tasked with pitching the final two innings with the hope of earning a save or win.
On the other side, the Bucs rode the arm of Moises Escobedo. Escobedo came in after the Bucs gave up the run in the fifth and he was fantastic.
The Bucs offense finally broke the deadlock on an RBI single up the middle from Jarrod Hocking.
After three scoreless frames, it looked like Escobedo would finally forfeit a run to the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth inning after Patterson hit a hard leadoff single.
Patterson subsequently stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position and giving the Pirates hope that they could turn their fortune around.
Michael Rodda appeared to have tied the game as he smoked a ground ball up the middle, but the ball was shockingly stopped by Escobedo, who spun around and caught the ball behind his back without ever seeing it.
Patterson was caught between second and third, and Escobedo promptly threw him out, diminishing the Pirates’ momentum and hopes.
For Patterson, the moment was on a long list of frustrating moments from the day. Patterson barreled up the ball twice early in the game, but both would-be doubles were hit straight to outfielders.
Patterson has consistently hit the ball hard over the past few weeks, but he always seems to hit it straight to outfielders. While not seeing the rewards statistically, Patterson recognizes that it is part of the game and knows he will reap the benefits eventually.
“At first, it’s very frustrating because I want to help the team by getting on base and moving runners over or driving them in,” said Patterson. “Those balls that I’m hitting are gap-to-gap, but they keep getting caught so it’s frustrating, but in the future, those balls are going to land, and once they do, the floodgates will be open.”
The Pirates have not always played the best, but they have certainly played better than their record reflects. While there have been definite struggles, it also feels that fortune has not favored the Pirates, which is best exemplified by Escobedo’s play in the ninth.
“Baseball is baseball, plays like that happen, but I have to keep pushing because it’s a new day tomorrow,” Patterson said. “We might not have won this one, but we have to keep pushing. We hung with the Power the night before and we hung with the Bucs today. We can compete, we just need a little bit of luck, because we’ve been unfortunate lately.”
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