COVINGTON — Missed opportunities and miscues in the field hurt Pine in a 7-2 loss to Archbishop Hannan in District 10-2A play at Coquille Parks and Recreation on Thursday night.
Pine had base runners throughout the game. In fact, the Raiders were retired in order just once, in the sixth inning. Pine left nine runners on base and five in scoring position.
Defensively, Pine committed five errors that resulted in four unearned runs.
“It’s kind of been the same story the last couple of weeks for us,” Pine coach Blake Dillon said. “Our defense hasn’t been there. We hadn’t been making the routine plays and that’s really been putting ourselves in a jam.
“We’ve been able to get a lot of base-runners on, but we can’t come up with really the clutch hit at an opportune time, but we’ve still got one more game before the playoffs to try to get it straight and hopefully go get us a win in the playoffs.”
That game is Saturday, April 22, on the road against Ascension Christian.
Hannan jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Austin Fontenot, who reached base all four times up with a double and three walks, doubled to left field. Jacob Gaude hit a ball that dropped into left centerfield. Nick Lucido drove home the game’s first run with an RBI single to left field that plated courtesy runner Chris Rabensteiner to make it 1-0. Austin Knower walked to fill the bases, still with nobody out. Jordan Holcombe picked up an RBI with a walk that sent Gaude home to make it 2-0. After a force out at home and a pop out, Trey Nunez beat out an infield single for a run batted in that plated Knower and it was 3-0 after one inning.
Pine pulled to within one, scoring a run each in the second and fourth.
Gabe Guttuso drew his first of two walks to begin a two-out rally in the second. He moved to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI double by Tate Roach to make it a 3-1 game.
In the fourth, Dakota Brooks led things off by getting hit. He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error on the attempted throw to third.
Hannan put up four in the fourth to close out the scoring.
Nunez began the frame with a walk. After the first out, Fontenot walked, the pinch runner stole third and scored on Gaude’s RBI groundout. Lucido reached on an error that allowed Rabensteiner to tally for a 5-2 lead. Knower and Jordan Gonzalez walked and the final two runs came home on a two-run single by Brandon Klein that plated Lucido and Knower.
Roach doubled, drove in a run and walked for Pine. Trey Cooper singled. Ethan Knight walked. Rion Terrell was hit by a pitch. Dillon Morris drew two walks and Brooks was hit and scored. Guttuso coaxed two walks and tallied a run.
Hannan’s Gaude and Lucido both singled, drove in a run and scored a run. Knower drew two walks and scored twice. Holcombe walked twice. Klein singled and drove in two runs. Izzy Carrera singled. Nunez walked and scored.