In their last game of the season, the Crenshaw Cougars baseball team defeated the Hawkins Hawks 8-3. The win gives the Cougars a 4-2 overall record, placing Crenshaw in third place in the Imperial League.
Cougars sophomore Robert Salazar pitched six innings and made eight strikeouts. Hawkins sophomore pitcher Jorge Meza pitched six innings, making seven strikeouts.
Salazar noted how junior catcher Collinton Tillett helped him keep batters from getting hits.
“He actually plays baseball, it’s my first time doing this,” Salazar said. “I’m just getting tips off of him.”
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The Hawks got on the board with an RBI by senior Jonathan Primus in the first inning. With two outs in the second inning, Cougars junior Quincy Reese hit a double and ran home at the next at bat; the score was tied.
Crenshaw carried their batting momentum into the third. Salazar whacked a 2RBI triple to give the Cougars the lead. The squad ultimately scored five runs with two runners stealing home.
“I was already trying to do it,” Salazar said. “[Meza] tried to throw me out on third [base], the next time, I just ran home, slid, didn’t think about nothing else except scoring.”
Stealing bases was another asset for the Cougars during the matchup.
“We just need as many base steals to get home,” said Crenshaw senior Makyi Douglas. “And just try not to get out.”
The mindset of the Cougars improved as the game went on, according to Tillett.
“When we first started, it was cold, chilly, wasn’t really in the mood,” Tillett said. “When we played the game, we got into it more.”
Hawkins base runners remained diligent despite the deficit and found two more runs from steals.
“That’s kind of our problem sometimes, they usually come back at the end,” Tillett said. “As long as our pitcher knows what he’s doing and our catcher, we’re gonna get the outs that we need.”
Douglas pitched the seventh inning, making two strikeouts to close out the game.
Several members of the baseball team play other sports. Douglas competes with the football team while Salazar competes in track and field, tennis, and cross country.
“Track makes me faster in general,” Salazar said. “Tennis helps with footwork; footwork you need for every sport.”
The Cougars end their season ranked third in the Imperial League.
