Right from the start of its contest against San Angelo Central, the Odessa High baseball team couldn’t find consistency in any facet of its game Tuesday at Pressly Field.
The Bronchos struggled to find a rhythm at bat and in their pitching, leading to a 9-2 loss in District 2-6A play.
“We just got beat by a better team, they played better all the way around,” Odessa High coach Josh Hulin said. “Got outplayed and outcoached.”
San Angelo Central made things tough for the Bronchos early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
An RBI single from Jakob Charles swung the momentum in the Bobcats’ favor, leading to a hit from Stryler Price that ended up in right field.
Price’s single scored Charles and Cayden Box to put the Bobcats in a comfortable spot heading into the bottom of the innig.
Odessa High couldn’t get much going in its first opportunity, seeing its top three batters go down in order.
A strong defensive showing in the top of the second gave the Bronchos a short boost, holding off the Bobcats and cutting the deficit down to one in their next at bat.
Hulin said his team was aided by inconsistent pitching in its quick push where Tristian Ramos and Jairo Guerrero scored.
Ramos reached home when Zorian Del Real was walked with loaded bases and Guerrero scored after Joeluis Charles grounded out into a fielder’s choice, ending with Del Real being tagged out as he advanced to second base.
“Their pitcher was wild in the second inning, which kind of started the rally,” Hulin said. “We didn’t hit the entire game, when they threw strikes we got out.”
The two hits Odessa High managed in the second would be the only ones they recorded in the contest, as the rest of their batters that reached after being walked or hit by pitches.
Although the scoring slowed down in the next inning, the Bobcats got back on the board with a deep triple from Ty Casey that landed at the right field barrier and scored Charles in the top of the fourth.
Box then hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, helping Casey reach home plate to give his team a 5-2 advantage.
The next time the Bobcats scored, they added insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
Facing two outs with loaded bases, Eduardo Luna brought in three runners after sending a fastball deep into right field.
Ethan Green then hit a line drive to centerfield, bringing in Luna to score the game’s final run.
Hulin said his team’s struggles can be attributed to its mental approach when facing off with more physical opponents.
“So much of this game is between the ears,” Hulin said. “Our guys were intimidated and scared of San Angelo Central, something that I’ve never really dealt with before until maybe last year in our program.
“Until we can get over the fear of playing the guys in the other dugout, we’re not going to be very good.”
Charles and Del Real led Odessa High with one RBI each, while Luna paced the Bobcats with three.
The Bronchos (6-5-1 overall, 1-2 district) look to regroup at the Crowley ISD Tournament, starting with a matchup against Azle at 3 p.m. Thursday in Crowley.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
