March 23, 2012
Story by Megan Garcia
Staff Writer
LA PUENTE – Bishop Amat senior Daniel Zamora pitched a complete game and junior Evan Claproth hit a three-run home run in a 6-2 victory over the La Salle Lancers on Friday.
The Lancers won despite star senior third baseman Rio Ruiz being hospitalized with a blood clot in his neck.
After striking out the first batter, Austin Wallis, Zamora found himself in some trouble in the first inning.
Antonio Ruiz followed Wallis with a double into the left-center gap. However, Ruiz missed first base and was called out on appeal.
With no runners on base, Bowdien Derby doubled into right field. Then David Sanchez singled Derby home to put La Salle on the board with the game’s first run. With Sanchez on first, Chris Williams tripled to center-right field. Sanchez scored the last run for La Salle in the game.
Zamora ended the inning with a strikeout. The two runs turned out to be La Salle’s only scores of the game.
The Lancers came back in the third inning.
With one out In the bottom of the third, sophomore Scott Hurst hit an infield single and then stole second base. Junior Andrew De La Cruz then walked.
With two on and one out, junior Adam Alcantara singled in Hurst for Amat’s first run. Then Claproth connected on a 2-2 pitch for a three-run home run to put the Lancers ahead, 4-2.
In the fourth inning both teams retired the other in order.
In the top of the fifth inning Zamora worked himself out of a bases-loaded situation. La Salle loaded the bases after an Amat error, a walk and a bunt. With two outs, Zamora ended the inning with a fly ball to the outfield.
In the bottom of the fifth, Amat’s Michael Hernandez opened up the inning with a single to center-right field. With one out, De la Cruz smacked a single up the middle moving Hernandez to second base.
Alcantara walked to load the bases.
Claproth singled to right field and Hernandez scored while Alcantara was thrown out at second. With runners on the corners, Moya hit a line drive bringing in De La Cruz. Senior Andrew Medina struck out to end the inning.
In the sixth inning Jordan Rodgers doubled into left-center with one out. Then, with two outs, Wallis singled into the outfield to put runners on the corners before Ruiz hit a grounder to Zamora to end the inning.
Zamora closed the game with a strikeout, a fly ball and ground ball to the shortstop.
The Lancers are on a three-game winning streak and hold a 4-5 overall record and are 2-0 in the Del Rey League.
