It was an ugly, overcast Monday, but Scolinos Field looked as beautiful as ever for a CPCL matchup between the Bucs and the Legends.
The Bucs came in looking for their first CPCL win, while the Legends vied for their third.
The seemingly normal early-season game, gifted the fans in attendance a look at one of college baseball’s premier talents as the Legends took the field.
Starting on the mound for the Legends was UCSD’s Izaak Martinez. In Martinez’s senior year with the Tritons, he held a 1.85 ERA and was named an All-American by the NCWBA and Perfect Game.
Martinez, a crafty lefty, splintered the bat of the Bucs’ leadoff hitter en route to a quick perfect inning. In the second, Martinez walked a batter but helped himself out by catching a comebacker and turning around to throw the runner out at first for an inning-ending double play.
Martinez finally allowed a hit with two outs in the third, but he locked in and struck out the next batter in three pitches. The All-American finished his outing with three scoreless innings, allowing only two base runners.
Martinez’s pitching prowess gave confidence to the Legends and helped establish a high standard for the rest of the game.
“Honestly, when you have a guy who’s known to shut hitters down like that, it makes you feel good, and he really set the tone for what we wanted to do today,” said Legends head coach Matt Cordero. “It continued not just through Izaak but also to Isaac Mendez”.
APU’s Isaac Mendez took over in the fourth and was even more impressive, quickly throwing three scoreless innings and only allowing one base runner.
The Legends dominated the Bucs offense with six innings of stellar pitching combined with some very impressive defense around the diamond. The defense has made tremendous strides since the start of the season, which has helped piece things together for the Legends.
“There’s been a big improvement in our defense over the last week and a half or so. We started rough against Palm Springs, but since then we’ve steadily improved,” Cordero said.
The incredible pitching and defense were combined with a strong offensive performance.
In the bottom of the first, Moonhyeon Eom attempted to lay a sac bunt down, but he was unsuccessful as the pitcher threw a fastball up-and-in that barely missed his face. Two pitches later, Eom clobbered a two-run home run over the left wall.
The Legends added another run in the second to extend their lead to 3-0. They would blow the game wide open in the fifth by scoring four more runs by taking advantage of defensive mistakes, which elongated the inning. Eom drove in the first of the four runs for his third RBI of the game.
Moon Eom drove in another run in the seventh inning for his fourth of the day and the final of the Legends’ eight runs. Moon has consistently performed for the Legends this summer, making him one of the most valuable players in the lineup.
“Moon has been huge all summer… He’s been consistent in the outfield and also in the lineup, he’s bat anywhere from the two to the five slot, but he’s been productive wherever we need him, so I’m happy with the output,” said Cordero.
The Bucs finally got on the board in the seventh inning with an RBI triple off the top of the left-field wall for Jarren Sanderson. During the next at-bat, Sanderson attempted to steal home, causing the pitcher to balk.
In the ninth, the Bucs scrounged a third run on a solo home run from UCLA’s Jarrod Hocking.
With an 8-3 win, the Legends grabbed their third victory and solidified their hold of second place in the CPCL.
The Legends are in action again tomorrow, this time for a doubleheader in Escondido against the San Diego Waves. The Bucs also have a game tomorrow, matching up against the Colton Nighthawks at Fullerton College.
Inland Valley Baseball Association 