Falcons Earn Split in Back-to-Back Battles
Folsom Lake College baseball showcased its offensive firepower in an 8-4 road win at Contra Costa on Feb. 26 before dropping a 7-4 decision at home to Marin the following afternoon.
Game 1: Falcons Launch Two Homers in 8-4 Win at Contra Costa
Folsom Lake jumped out early and never trailed, riding a pair of home runs and a deep bullpen effort to secure the victory.
The Falcons struck for two runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from John Handy and a passed ball. In the third, Trajan Rogowski ignited the offense with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-0.
An RBI double by Keegan Kahalehoe in the fourth plated two more runs, pushing the advantage to 6-0. After Contra Costa cut into the deficit with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, Folsom Lake answered emphatically in the seventh when Dylan Green crushed a two-run homer to make it 8-3.
Rogowski finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Green added two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Kahalehoe contributed two hits and two RBIs as the Falcons tallied 11 hits overall.
On the mound, six Folsom Lake pitchers combined to allow just two hits while striking out 13. Jake McKowen started, and the bullpen — highlighted by scoreless outings from Shane Saunders, Ryder Celenza, and Colin Huston — preserved the lead down the stretch.
Game 2: Early Deficit Too Much to Overcome in 7-4 Loss to Marin
Back at home, Folsom Lake found itself in an early hole against Marin.
The visitors plated four runs in the second inning and added three more in the third to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Despite steady relief work that held Marin scoreless over the final six innings, the Falcons could not fully climb back.
Folsom Lake broke through in the third when Tucker Schall scored on a wild pitch. In the sixth, Handy delivered an RBI single, and another run crossed on a wild pitch to trim the deficit to 7-3. The Falcons added one more in the ninth on an RBI groundout by Asa Martinez, but the rally fell short.
Handy paced the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Connor Barth and George Shykowski added hits of their own. Folsom Lake finished with six hits but struck out 11 times.
Out of the bullpen, Andrew Balentine was strong, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to keep the Falcons within reach.
Folsom Lake demonstrated its ability to produce runs in bunches and rely on pitching depth, but defensive miscues and early innings proved costly in the split. The Falcons will look to carry their offensive momentum forward as conference play continues.