The PHS Baseball team lost to Head Royce (HRS) in the second game of the season 8-6.

For the first two innings, neither team was able to score any runs. However, by the third inning, HRS was leading 5-0 and by the fourth inning, the score was 6-0.

Though the game was slow at first for the Highlanders this was accredited to HRS’s pitcher, who will be playing Division I at UCLA next year.

“That pitcher is a fantastic pitcher and that was all credit to him,” baseball head coach Eric Olson said. “He was just beating us for five innings. When they got another pitcher in we were able to score some runs. Not all pitchers will be like that.”

During the fifth inning, junior Ryan Nakamura, senior Evans Hauser, and captain senior Ryan Sullivan scored the first three Highlander runs.

Despite the Highlander’s comeback, HRS was able to get two more runs in the sixth inning, bringing the score up to 8-3.

“We need to tighten up on defense though because we made some errors,” Sullivan said. “We could have won that game. We’re a better team than that.”

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Highlanders scored three runs, made by junior Spencer Gutterman, Nakamura, and Sullivan. The score was 8-6 HRS at the end of the sixth inning.

The Highlanders’ defense started getting better in the top of the seventh inning, where they prevented HRS from scoring any runs.

With the score at 8-6 and the Highlanders on offense at the bottom of the seventh and last inning, the team stood a chance of winning the game.

With teammates on first, second, and third bases, Nakamura went to bat. However, he hit a foul ball and eventually striked out.

“I was just trying to stay relaxed and just let second nature come and just do what I’ve been doing during practice,” Nakamura said. “I try not to tense up because if I do I’m just going to strike out.”

Sullivan was the last person to bat for the Highlanders. He was unable to get a hit, however.

“I was just excited just because I got to do something good and I just put it in play which is all you can really ask for,” he said.

Olson said the team played better than they had in their first game, but still had areas to improve on.

“I was happy with the way they came back and battled,” he said. “We need to find a formula that’s a winning formula and that’s pitching and defense and timely hitting. We’ll get better and keep plugging on.”