Baseball loses in first round CIF, still proud of season

Anika NarayananNews EditorAfter a trying, yet nonetheless successful season, Samo baseball ended further play in the 2013 season with an 8-3 loss against Knight High School in Palmdale, California in the first round of playoff games, thus ending its time in the 2013 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) tournament. Although the season ultimately ended in loss, the triumphs outweighed the losses.“We played hard,” Jonathan Rakuljic (’14) said. “Where we are now is not where we were in August. To us, that was a success within itself.”A series of wins early season, with the defeat of Ventura High School, Buena High School and Birmingham High School within an eight day period, set the tone for a primarily successful year.According to head coach Kurt Schwengel, the “tough” schedule was counteracted by one of the strongest varsity rosters Samo has ever seen.“To win 20 out of 30 games with our schedule was a major accomplishment for us,” Schwengel said.The team was led by pitchers Conner Greene (’13) and Alex Gironda (’14) dominating the mound and defensive strategy, while designated hitters Alex Turner (’13) and Lino Lares (’13) led the team to a series of offensive victories. Andrew Brown (’15) and Matthew Kassowitz (’15) defied the rookie norm as key components of the starting lineup, as  pitcher and catcher respectively.“The guys should be very proud of their season,” Schwengel said.The team also competed in the 2013 San Diego Lions tournament in early April. Although the team did not win the tournament itself, it was able to win the consolation bracket, beating the visiting team from Colorado. The four-day tournament acted as not only a means of strengthening the players’ skills in preparation for the CIF games, but also as a bonding experience for the team.“It’s my first year at Samo and we came out strong,” Kassowitz said. “We worked hard and for a long time, but primarily we worked as a family. Even though we didn’t win this year, we’ll come back even stronger next year.”Although the team did not win the overall championship this season, led by new coach Schwengel, the team made great strides and witnessed one of its strongest seasons to date.“To go undefeated in league was a major accomplishment for us and then the icing on the cake was defeating Palisades,” Schwengel said. “The guys should be very proud of their season.”anarayanan@thesamohi.com