In last year’s championship game at SBC Park, the Washington varsity baseball team made a mockery of the Lowell Cardinals.

Almost as if taking batting practice, the Eagles posted 16 runs against Lowell. No doubt a huge stain on the team’s confidence, the team handled the loss in the best way possible. They upped their intensity in practice to ensure a victory in their next encounter with the Eagles. The hard work finally paid off on March 15.

The team opened their grudge match on a sunny day at Big Rec. Coming into the game, the Eagles were no doubt cocky. Because of this, they were not ready for what the Cardinals had cooked up for them. This recipe included great defense, strong pitching and most importantly, a potent offense.

In a 7 run fifth inning, highlighted by a clutch suicide squeeze by junior second baseman Derrick Figueras, the Cardinals were on their way to a 7-5 victory. Junior southpaw Evan Brydon turned on a stunning performance on the mound, throwing six strong innings. The win marked not only a satisfying achievement for the Cardinals, but “a new beginning” in the season, according to senior right fielder Joey Bien-Kahn.

Though the Washington victory was a huge confidence booster for the ruffled Cardinals, losses still haunt their past.

The varsity baseball team is, in short, their own worst enemy. Currently they are 0-4 in legitimate preseason games, 2-0 in scrimmages and 5-1 in a less than competitive AAA league. The wins are impressive, but the losses are really what defines the team. All of their losses stemmed from a lack of focus late in the game.

The Cardinals suffered their first loss from the hands of an overconfident and less-than-impressive Riordan team, Feb. 17. In that game, Lowell showcased impressive pitching from Brydon but delivered only a mediocre offense. The Cardinals were in the field late in the game, leading by one with the infield pulled in to prevent the Crusader on third base from scoring. Despite the advanced preparation of pulling in the infield, Riordan managed to score when a batter hit a slow dribbler to sophomore first baseman Narin Leninger, who tagged first immediately, allowing the runner on third to score. The play got an out, but a better idea would have been to throw home to prevent a tie game. No one communicated this idea to Leninger; therefore, the team’s lack of focus caused that run to score. This temporary lapse lost Lowell the lead and later, the game. Riordan went on to capture a victory in extra innings.

Their next three losses came against El Camino High School on Feb. 19, Tamalpais High School on Feb. 21 and Menlo-Atherton on Mar. 10. In those games, seniors Tomas Sanchez and Gaston Guibert and Brydon turned on dominating pitching performances. Unfortunately, they were backed by sub-par hitting. Though the Cardinals started off both games well, they later faltered by making error after error until, like a damaged airplane, they plunged themselves head first into the ground.

Typical for any powerhouse that loses a few games, fingers get pointed in many directions, all searching for a scapegoat. However, junior left fielder Nick Rosenheim’s scapegoat is not on the team, he blames the time of the season. “It always takes a few games for a team with new players to get on the same page,” he said.

Even so, how long does it take for a team to wake up and realize that it will get lose a lot of games if the focus and intensity level doesn’t rise?

Contrary to Rosenheim’s ideals, Leninger seems to share the opinion of most of the team. “We’re the hardest working team around,” Leninger said. “We’ve practiced all types of plays and there isn’t an excuse for the losses.”

Senior left fielder Ben Lewin feels that losses are one of the best things for a team’s improvement. “Losses are great for the team; it brings us down to Earth and reminds us that we have more than enough space for improvement.”

Junior outfielder Chris Colbert couldn’t agree more. “We learn from the mistakes that cause us to lose and we work to make sure they don’t happen again,” he said.

With such wise words, surely a change in action will follow. Look for improvement at Lowell’s next game today at 3:15 p.m. against Mission High School at Big Rec.