BASEBALL: Tiger Bats Are Quiet Against Sequoia

The Score: Sequoia 7, Terra Nova 1.

The Star: Junior third baseman Nick Manessis staked host Terra Nova High to a 1-0 lead, belting a long drive to left-center in the bottom of the first inning for an inside-the-park home run on Wednesday afternoon. “I’m not the fastest guy, so that’s my first inside-the-park-home run in high school,” said Manessis. The Tigers would fail to add to that total though, as Sequoia starter Roman Rosado (3-0) held them to five hits in a complete-game effort to drop Terra Nova (7-5-2 overall) to 1-2 in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division.

The Turning Point: Sequoia (6-8-2, 3-4 PAL Bay) took the lead for good with a rally in the top of the second. Dalton Diaz scored on a balk and center fielder Jake Mauldin chipped in an RBI triple to give the Cherokees a 2-1 advantage.

The Quote: “We’ve been behind because of the rain and stuff. I thought, with our play in the (Peninsula Spring Classic Tournament), we’d come out swinging the bats. We came out behind today, and I wasn’t expecting that. We can’t use up our excuses anymore. The field’s dry, we’ve been out here every day. The bats didn’t come around like I thought they would.”  – Terra Nova coach Joey Gentile, on his team being limited to five hits Wednesday.

What’s Next? Terra Nova, No. 8 in , visits unranked Sequoia today at 3:15 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Terra Nova began a tough stretch that sees the Tigers play four games in seven days, including three games in four days. The 7-1 loss and five hits are not the way the Tigers wanted to open that stretch.

Notes: Terra Nova first baseman David Smathers had a six-game hit streak snapped. Smathers last went hitless when Manessis threw his perfect game against Crystal Springs Uplands on St. Patrick’s Day. … Bobby Sehgal (2-2) started on short notice for the Tigers, allowing nine hits and four earned runs in five innings. … Sequoia’s Rosado also served as a spot starter. … Seghal (9) and Rosado (7) both lead their teams in appearances. … Sequoia entered Wednesday tied for second most in PAL Bay games played with six, while Terra Nova was tied for last with two. “The field’s been so bad, we’ve barely had time to practice out here. Hopefully today is a hiccup and we have a good season,” said Manessis. … Before Wednesday, Terra Nova had won five straight against the Cherokees.

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Sequoia 7, Terra Nova 1

Sequoia 020 021 2 – 7 12 0

Terra Nova 100 000 0 – 1 5 2

WP: Rosado (3-0). LP: Sehgal (2-2).

HR: Manessis (T). 3B: Mauldin (S). 2B: Brown, Rosado (S). 3 Hits: Rosado (S). 2 Hits Brown, Diaz, Kinder, Mauldin (S). 2 RBI: Brown (S).

Records: Sequoia 6-8-2, 3-4 PAL Bay. Terra Nova 7-5-1, 1-2.