While all losses count the same, they’re not all treated the same. Some losses bring optimism. Other losses feature basically no silver lining at all. Unfortunately for the Mingus baseball team, the loss to Coconino on Thursday, April 8, fell into the latter category.
The Marauders’ performance was flat from the time the umpire said “Play Ball” onward. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead after the first inning. After a scoreless second, Coconino scored at least three runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings and went on to defeat Mingus 13-1 in a game that was called via the 10-run rule after five innings.
When it was over, Marauders coach Erick Quesada made it clear that there was nothing good to draw from his team’s performance.
“I honestly didn’t see any positives whatsoever,” Quesada said. “It was a gut-wrenching game for myself. I felt like our boys — from the first pitch on — were not in it. It was just an overall frustrating and embarrassing game.”
Perhaps the most notable sequence of the game came not when the score was still close but well after it was out of hand. Leading 12-0 in the top of the fifth inning, Coconino had one out and runners on first and third. Panthers Pitcher Adrian Marquez dropped a bunt down and while he was retired at first, the runner from third easily scored. And while that play is unquestionably well within the rules of baseball, the etiquette of bunting with a 12-run lead is debatable.
The Mingus bench voiced its frustration with the play. Ultimately, Quesada was given a warning. For the remainder of the top of the fifth and the entire bottom of the inning, there was life from the Marauders bench. Unfortunately for Mingus, it was more energy than most of the team had shown until that point.
That brought a simple question. Based on their reaction to the bunt, the Marauders clearly had intensity. So, why did it not show until the final outcome had long been determined?
“It shouldn’t take that to get us fired up,” senior right fielder Jonathan Sanchez said. “We should be fired up from the beginning of the game with the want to win. We just lacked that fire.”
Marquez actually took a no-hitter into the bottom of the fifth inning. That was broken up with a clean single to left by Sanchez. He made his way around the bases, eventually scoring on an RBI single from junior center fielder and lead-off man, Anthony Rivera.
Despite the final score, the Marauders did have chances early. Senior starting pitcher Trey Peters didn’t pitch badly but pitched into some bad luck. Case in point, the first hitter of the game, Coconino DH Ryker Patten, reached on an infield single that came because he hit the ball too soft in a perfect location.
Trailing 2-0, Peters got some good luck as a hitter in the second inning when a seemingly routine flyball became anything but with a big gust of wind. That caused Panthers right fielder Tyler Ragan to misplay the ball, putting Peters sixon second with a two-base error. But the Marauders couldn’t capitalize on that mistake, with junior catcher Zach Harrison, junior first baseman Ryan Shamberger and Sanchez all striking out, leaving Peters stranded.
“Whenever anything goes bad, it’s just downhill,” said senior Michael Mendez, who Quesada identified as one of the few consistent suppliers of energy from the Mingus bench. “There are a couple of us trying to keep it together, trying to keep it positive. But there is so much that goes on and all of a sudden, we’re all down.”
The loss was the fifth straight from the Marauders and moved their record to 3-8 overall and 2-6 in the 4A Grand Canyon Region. Next up for Mingus is a pair of games with Bradshaw Mountain. The Marauders were home on Tuesday, April 13 and lost 18-7. They will be on the road on Thursday, April 15. That game starts at 3:45 p.m.
Seven games remain on the Mingus schedule. Following the game, Quesada said that he wanted to see a better attitude from the team for the rest of the season. He was not alone in that opinion.
“I want to see some differences. I want to see some positives and I want to see some wins,” Mendez said. “We have the skills. We should have the mentality but we’re kind of lacking it. We just need to start playing with a better head.”
