Pitching woes prove fatal as Dons get mauled by Tigers

In the final game of the regular season, the Santa Ana Dons dropped their series against the Riverside Tigers 15-6 on Friday afternoon. Riverside completed their three-game sweep, led by their offense, scoring 26 runs in the series.

“Yeah, we did not play very well,” said head coach Tom Nilles. “We did as much as we could with the hand we were dealt. There’s nothing to hang our heads about, we just have to move forward.”

The Dons’ pitching staff had a “bullpen day” planned with no starting pitcher. Seven pitchers struggled to stand their ground as the Tigers capitalized on the opportunity, scoring multiple runs on five different pitchers.

Freshman Ernie Gonzalez had the best outing of the group, pitching two scoreless innings in the third and fourth.

“I haven’t had many opportunities recently, and today I just kind of tracked my mindset and pounded strikes, gave my team a chance to win, and tried to be the best I can,” said Gonzalez. “I think we need to be mentally prepared a little better. We got the stuff, we got the talent, probably one of the better pitching staffs in the state, but we just gotta execute.”

The Dons’ offense only had three fewer hits than the Tigers, despite the nine-run loss. Shortstop Christian Altamirano had three hits and two runs, leading the offense.

“I felt pretty good today,” said Altamirano. “The last couple of weeks have been a little iffy for me, but I feel like as long as I can get going in a good way, going into the playoffs, I feel like that’s what’s important.”

Altamirano has batted .358 with 49 runs this season. Photo by Brandon Rowley / el Don

Despite the bitter ending to the season, the Dons clinched a spot back in the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

“The playoffs are a whole different animal,” said first baseman Kian Sanchez.

“I’d say there are three seasons: there’s the pre-conference, conference, and then the playoffs.”

“Heading into the playoffs is gonna be fun,” said Sanchez. “I’ve been there before, and it’s just a whole different atmosphere, but we just gotta play it like us. We just gotta be the Dons in the playoffs, not try to do anything more.”

Santa Ana is in an unfamiliar spot, losing nine of their last ten games, which comes immediately after they won 17 out of 18 games.

“We just need to get back to how we were a few weeks ago,” said Altamirano. “We had a good energy going on, and if we can go in next week, have a good practice, have a good week with a good mindset—I think we’ll be all right.”

Catcher Connor Deitsch is looking to be a veteran leader going into the playoff push. Photo by Brandon Rowley / el Don

Ranked No. 10 in the CCCAA bracket, Santa Ana will host a series against the No. 15 ranked San Diego Mesa on Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 11 a.m. respectively.

“We know where we’re at. We got a chance to make a run. We’re pretty good when we’re playing at our best,” said Coach Nilles. “When you get into the postseason, you’re talking about confidence. Our guys have the experience; they’ve been through it, and we know what it’s going to take.”