CLAP BACK

By Brandon Petersen

The Westcliff baseball team jumped out to a dream start Saturday afternoon, but an explosive response from The Master's turned the opener of the doubleheader into a long day for the Warriors in a 20–8 loss at Lou Herwaldt Stadium in Santa Clarita.

Nick Malvini provided the early jolt, launching a first-inning grand slam to right to cap a six-run opening frame and give Westcliff a 6–0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats. The blast was the first home run of the season for Malvini and briefly put the Warriors firmly in control.

That control disappeared quickly.

The Master's answered with eight runs in the bottom of the first, punctuated by Mikey Murr's own grand slam, then piled on six more in the second inning to flip the game on its head. By the end of two innings, the hosts had turned a six-run deficit into a 14–6 advantage and never looked back.

Westcliff finished with 10 hits, including RBI knocks from Ryan Duron, Hayden Letzing and Brendon Alvarez, while Duron and Letzing added ninth-inning RBI singles to close out the scoring.

Alex Chacon scored twice and reached base three times, and Letzing went 2-for-2 with an RBI in relief duty at first base.

Despite the lopsided final, the opening inning offered a snapshot of the offensive potential Westcliff hopes to build on this season.

Malvini's grand slam was part of a six-run rally that also featured an RBI single from Alvarez and a run-scoring error. The Warriors will look to pair that kind of production with cleaner innings on the mound moving forward.

Game 2 of the doubleheader was suspended in the seventh inning due to darkness, with The Master's holding a 3–2 lead at the time of stoppage.

That contest will be resumed March 31, when The Master's travels to Great Park for a different scheduled series.

Up next for the Warriors will be a 2 p.m. first-pitch with Bethesda at the Great Park Tuesday.