Page One

It wasn’t exactly a pitcher’s duel at the St. Mary’s diamond on Friday afternoon, but even the most snobbish of baseball purists would have had to agree that it was good baseball.  

With 13 of the game’s 21 runs scored in the first two innings, Albany and St. Mary’s made it clear early that it would be no day for lowering ERAs. Albany starter Adam Phillips struggled with the powerful Panther lineup from the opening at-bat, and found himself in a seven run hole in the second inning, before being pulled for a reliever. Though the Cougar bats caught fire in the fifth, producing five runs, the late rally wasn’t enough to prevent a 12-9 Panther victory. 

“They made it a game,” St. Mary’s coach Andy Shimabukuro said about the Cougars’ near-comeback. “I was happy. We kinda figured we’d have to score runs, since the pitching hasn’t been up to par.” 

The Panthers got their damage done early, getting a grand slam from starting pitcher Anthony Miyawaki and a three-run homer from Joe Starkey in the first two innings. Albany got in on the batting practice with a two-run jack in the second, but still trailed, 10-3, by the end of the inning. Miyawaki pitched five solid innings to earn the win, before shortstop Jeremiah Fielder came in to close the Cougars out and pick up the save. Miyawaki and Starkey’s eight combined RBIs accounted for most of the St. Mary’s scoring, though a 2-for-3, 3 RBI outing by catcher Ryan Bahado-Singh would turn out to be the difference. 

With the victory, St. Mary’s improved its overall record to 7-5, and its Alameda-Contra Costa Athletic League mark to a perfect 3-0. Shimabukuro expects the squad to find its first real league challenge next Wednesday, when it visits major league prospect Dontrelle Willis and the Encinal Jets. Willis, who suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 5-1 on Wednesday, is expected to get the starting nod vs. St. Mary’s. 

“I’m sure we’ll see Mr. Willis,” the Panther coach said. “We’re going to have to score some runs to beat them.”