University City Centurions Vs. St Augustine Saints

Baseball teams are like families, they're going to have their ups and downs. Take last week, for instance.

The University City Centurions started the week off on a high note, with a 13-3 pounding of Hoover. Then, came the latter part of the week, and with it, a frustrating 8-7 loss to St. Augustine.

"We haven't lost two games in a row all season," said Centurion coach Colin Cann. "Whenever we've lost a game, we've always bounced back with a win. We've been good at putting losses behind us and moving on to the next game."

University City, as a team, shares a belief that their biggest game of the year is always the next game that they play. This positive attitude should only help matters as the Centurions prepare to open the C.I.F. Playoffs.

"This team has not once looked past their next opponent," said Cann. "We like to put forth our best effort every time we step onto the field. Together, we achieve more."

On the down side, University City has never won a playoff game in the history of the school. However, these Centurions have won more games than any previous University City baseball team.

"Our goal was to win 17 games, and we've surpassed that," said Cann of a team that currently sports a record of 20-9 overall. "There were people out there who thought that we wouldn't do real well. But, we evaluated the talent we had and tried to put each player in a situation where he could produce and be successful."

Speaking of success, the Centurions had plenty of it early in the week against Hoover. The highlight of the game was Norberto Alejo's home run.

The towering drive cleared the right field fence and landed on the girls' softball field. Chris Barnes also enjoyed a big day for University City, going 2-for-2, with two runs batted in and two runs scored.

"Every kid out here does something well," said Cann. "It's our job to find out what it is. It's not about the coaches, though. The kids play the game."

Later in the week, the Centurions hooked up with St. Augustine. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with the Saints clinging to an 8-5 lead, Adrian Pimentel, Tony Saipe, and Kevin Makinson all reached base safely, loading the bases for University City.

Barnes stepped to the plate and promptly drilled a single, scoring Pimentel and Saipe. That trimmed St. Augustine's lead to 8-7, but the Centurions would get no closer, as their rally came up just a little bit on the short end.

It was a game, however, that saw a school record fall for each team. The Saints' Baron Frost set a school mark for home runs in a season when he hit his llth, while University City's Ryan Cohen established a school record for hits in one season with his 4lst.

"Ryan has really ignited the offense this season," said Cann. "He's been here through the good times and the bad. Now, he's a part of school history."