The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser and the Timu Foundation.
The562’s coverage of Cabrillo Athletics is sponsored by the Cohn Family.
It was a great day to be a Jordan Panther on Thursday at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, and an even better day for a pair of super sophomores in Julian Lopez and Matthew Alcala.
The duo of underclassmen headlined a much-needed win for Jordan, which served as the Panthers’ first Moore League victory of the season and snapped a three-game losing streak. Lopez’s highlight came in the form of a two-run home run on a shot to left field in the first inning, which proved to be plenty of run support for Alcala to pitch a complete-game shutout in a 2-0 win.
“I think we learned a lesson from our Compton loss, where we scored a couple early and played like we had it in the bag and just stopped playing,” said Jordan coach Phillip Berman. “So today was about staying on our guys and staying focused, and we didn’t repeat that same mistake. It was everything we asked for today.”
After a double-play and 1-2-3 first inning from Alcala, the Panthers started a two-out rally in the bottom of the opening frame with an Adrian Lara single. That brought Lopez to the plate, where the sophomore jumped on a first-pitch fastball and sent it down the left-field line and over the 335-foot wall for the two-run homer.
“Coach told me to just stay through the ball, and my approach was to line-drive it up the middle. It was a good pitch and I had to sit on it,” Lopez said. “When I hit the ball I thought it was foul because I’ve hit a couple just like that. But when I saw coach say it was fair I was like, ‘Hell yeah.’ It was the best experience.”
Alcala went on to allow just two more hits the rest of the way, finishing with three hits allowed while walking just two batters. The sophomore racked up eight strikeouts and also got some help from his defense, which turned a pair of double plays to strand all five of Cabrillo’s baserunners.
“I was just trying to get us a team win, to be honest,” Alcala said after the game. “I’m just a team guy, and I just wanted to pitch for the guys. We needed to win this game to end our losing streak, so I was a little nervous, but I just wanted to be there for the team.”
Alcala said his nerves settled, especially after seeing his fellow sophomore hit the two-run homer in the first inning.
“That’s what gave me a sense of relief,” he said. “I just started to shove for my team and hope for the best. I got tired in the last couple of innings, but I just had to take some deep breaths, regroup, and just pitch.”
Outside of the home run, Cabrillo got a strong outing on the mound from freshman Daniel Jauregui, who surrendered just three hits while finishing with five straight scoreless innings. Jauregui walked just one batter and struck out six.
Both teams will take a break from Moore League play for spring break before returning on April 15. Cabrillo will face Wilson, while Jordan takes on Long Beach Poly.
