Baseball: Falcons battle adversity to finish strong in league

A rebuilt Falcon team has been battling adversity ever since the league season began. With so many new players, they have managed to overcome an early losing streak and win most of their recent games, putting them in a position to win playoff games against top teams.

As of April 24, the team’s record was 12-10 overall. League playoffs begin in early May.

On April 17, the team clinched a crucial 2-1 win against Mountain View in an away game. Having defeated the Spartans 5-3 two days earlier, the Falcons were eager to complete the series sweep.

The games against the Spartans aroused “high emotions throughout the week with many instances of aggression from both sides,” said senior third baseman Billy Vithanage. Even though the second game nearly ended in blows, the Falcons were able to take the high road and walk away with their wins.

During Spring Break, the Falcons competed in the Crown Classic Tournament at Valley Christian, which pits teams from different leagues against each other. The Falcons placed third, one of the highest standings they have achieved in the past couple years.

The week-long tournament began on April 6 with a 6-5 win over Leigh. They made a miraculous comeback from a 5-1 deficit, and put up four runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth with timely hitting and baserunning from junior right fielder Michael Schillage, stealing the win.

The Falcons played San Benito two days later, losing 6-1 in 10 innings. According to junior infielder Jackson Williams, they left too many runners on base early in the game and made base-running mistakes. In extra innings, the Haybalers had a rally that secured the win.

On April 11, the Falcons faced Wilcox in a battle for third place in the tournament. A few weeks earlier, the team was swept by the Chargers in two league games. However, during the tournament, the Falcons won 5-3 behind strong pitching from senior Evan Lindeman.

On April 3, an action-packed game unfolded against powerhouse Palo Alto. Last season, the Falcons and Vikings vied for the league title, and Saratoga managed to take the championship.

In this game, the Vikings had a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh, with the score tied at 4-4. With one out and a runner on third, the Vikings had a perfect opportunity to snatch the game from the Falcons’ claws.

However, a grounder was hit to freshman second baseman Robert Scott, who threw to senior catcher Adin Roskoph to record the out at the plate.

In the top of the eighth, Saratoga led 5-4 on senior infielder Joey Medeiros’s RBI single. But again, Palo Alto tied the score at the bottom of the eighth, forcing another extra inning.

In the end, Roskoph hit a game-winning double to left field in the top of the ninth to knock in a runner from second. Junior relief pitcher Ryan Casini also had a pair of hits for Saratoga, ending the difficult first half of the ninth.

Hearts pounded in the bottom of the ninth as the Falcons clung desperately to a one-run lead. Viking Justin Hull led off for Palo Alto with a double, and his teammate Jack Andrews followed with a single to right field.

Suddenly, all was quiet as Casini composed himself on the mound. Throwing three magnificent strikes against Viking Ben Cleasby, Casini shut down Palo Alto by throwing out a runner at first on a safety squeeze in which the runner at third held. For the third out, he induced a ground ball that the Falcons converted into the final out and a win.

Head coach Adam Varteressian lept to his feet, yelling to his players as he spread his arms wide apart, “Would you have it any other way? Would you? You knew this would happen.”

As evidenced by this win and the team’s success in recent years, the Falcons’  determination and relentless work ethic are influenced by Varteressian’s competitive and inspiring nature.

Another example of overcoming adversity occurred after senior outfielder Andrew Chen was hit off the helmet while batting, suffering a broken nose and putting him on the bench. Vithanage also endured a dislocated shoulder in the week before the Palo Alto matchup. With two key players out for a few games, sophomore Brian Tatman stepped up from JV to fill in for Chen, and he has done a lot of good things for the team, according to Vithanage. 

“Sometimes we create our own adversity and sometimes it comes in different forms, but our guys have battled and really done well in those situations,” Varteressian said.

With grins on their faces, the Falcons walked away with a 6-5 win, satisfied with the feat they had accomplished on the Vikings’ territory.

“I was thinking ‘He’s right; I wouldn’t have it any other way,’” Casini said. “What’s a baseball game without adversity?”