Roadrunners Struggling

The 2019 baseball season has been rough for the Rio Hondo Roadrunners. They are (6-7) and have disappointed expectations. Their hard work leading up to the season hasn’t been paying dividends in the win column. The only thing they have going right now is that they are on a two game win streak. The first multiple win stretch since the start of the season.

This could be the grounds for another disappointing season, just like last year, unless they turn things around. They’ve picked up their total team batting average the past few games to the highest point it’s been all season. They’ve added another home run to bring them to two on the season. They need to continue to hit for power along with executing small-ball when needed if they want to keep up with the other offenses in the South Coast Conference.

Roadrunners Build Momentum

Two straight big wins against the Compton Tartars gives them a little momentum heading into Tuesday March 5th’s game. They played home and host a strong team in the section. The El Camino Warriors will stroll into ‘the jungle,’ where the Roadrunners play, with a (12-3) record. With six more wins than the Roadrunners, they come in as the favorite. However, the Roadrunners can still hang their hats on the fact they are (2-0) in the division and actually are tied for first in the North section part of the South Coast Conference. The Warriors are (0-2) and second to last in the South part of the SCC.

While the offense for the Roadrunners has a higher total team batting average, the Warriors only batting .237, the pitching and defense is where the Roadrunners fall short in measuring up to El Camino. Pitching and defense wins games, which is evident in the two team’s records. The Warriors have 17 less errors than Rio Hondo and have a total team earned run average of 2.05 compared to Rio’s 5.81. So far it has not played a factor in the conference for the two teams as their conference records would indicate, but Rio can’t maintain pace giving up more than five runs per game.

Make or Break

Mental toughness and execution are crucial to the success of Rio Hondo the remainder of the season. With a bad start to the season, this is the most crucial part of the season right now. Rio has faced many challenges this season like a starter being pulled out of a game earlier in the season due to elbow soreness, a source confirming that a starting infielder overslept on game day and was sent home by the coach, and two losses to Victor Valley, one of the worst teams in the state, makes things difficult for the Roadrunner’s psyche.

With 21 more games to go in the season, including Tuesday’s vs El Camino, Rio has plenty of time to either take command of the division or resort to losing like they have seven times already this season. Come out and support the men’s baseball team Tues. March 5.  It’s free and you’ll get to see some of Rio Hondo’s top student-athletes.