San Francisco Seagulls Weekend Recap June 8-14
After a disappointing end to the first weekend of the season, the Seagulls began the second week of the season with a 17-1 loss on the road against the Walnut Creek Crawdads.
With a four-game home stand in their sights, San Francisco needed to build some confidence within both their lineup and pitching staff, beginning with the San Luis Obispo Blues on Thursday.
Although sophomore first baseman Christian LaMothe continued his hot start with a three-RBI game, tallying a first inning home run in their first matchup against San Luis Obispo to give San Francisco an early 3-0 lead, the Seagulls couldn't keep their foot on the gas.
The Blues would take control of the two-game series from there, scoring five runs in the sixth inning off a Kyle Becker grand slam and four runs in the eighth inning, handing San Francisco a 12-5 loss.
Without the consistent bat of senior outfielder Davis Germann in the lineup, San Luis Obispo would neutralize the Seagulls to just one run in a 9-1 loss on Friday.
Heading into the two-game weekend series against the Alameda Merchants, San Francisco looked to build on their home opening night 5-4 win over Alameda.
However, coming off a 7-4 road win over the Crawdads, the Merchants were fueled with confidence, posting 10 runs in the first four innings before delivering the Seagulls a 12-2 loss.
After returning from a in-person commitment visit to the University of Utah on Friday, Germann would give San Francisco something to celebrate on Saturday, delivering his first home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Seagulls pitching staff continued to struggle, but it wasn't until Sunday where manager Marc Caviglia decided to give the start to his best performing pitcher in sophomore Joe Steidel.
Early into the game, Steidel showed his resilience on the mound, getting out of jams and commanding the strike zone. He recorded six strikeouts in four innings pitched, allowing the Merchants just one earned run.
Junior right hander Caleb Garrison would come in as relief for the Seagulls, handling business in his first four innings.
With little room for error in a 2-1 hole, Caviglia would make a critical decision, leaving Garrison on the mound to ride it out for the final inning. It would turn into the wrong decision as San Francisco allowed four runs in the top of the ninth inning, including a three-run shot from junior infielder Titus Wheelock.
Written by: Owen Daszko