by Giuseppe Palmer, staff writer
The Lions baseball team’s undefeated season and the deepest playoff run they’ve had in over 5 years came to an end with a loss to Lowell in the semi-finals on May 15.
Following a tough season last year where the Lions finished with a losing record (3-12) and missed the playoffs, which bumped them down from Division 1 to the 2nd division. However, with 10 returning seniors on the team and a weaker schedule, the Lions knew they’d have a chance to prove themselves in Division 2, and have the opportunity to make a deep run into the playoffs.
The Lions did just that as they breezed through the regular season, going undefeated and flying past all their opponents. They won on mercy rule in all but one game, and finished first in the division.
While playing in Division 2 might not have had the toughest competition, the team really enjoyed the season. Senior third baseman Mariano S. said, “The season was a lot of fun, because we were able to just breeze through all the teams around us in the regular season.” Senior catcher Misha B. added, “It was really great to be able to let loose a little bit, try out new players and different strategies and just have a good time.”
Entering the playoffs, the Lions, coming in 1st place in Division 2, would play Division 1’s lowest seed, Academy, the same team who took their place in the upper division, at Big Rec on May 11th. Galileo went on to win a tight game, behind a great pitching performance from junior starting pitcher Max H. who struck out 10 batters in 5 innings. Galileo scored early runs thanks to a RBI double from freshman second baseman Julian C. followed by some errors made by Academy’s catcher, and the game ended 3-1 with senior shortstop Caiden R. coming in to close it out.
“I felt really great [about winning the playoff game]. I was nervous going into it, since it was such a big game, but it went great and obviously we won,” said Max.
The win earned Galileo a matchup with Lowell and a chance to go to the championship at Oracle Park. But the Lions knew Lowell would be a tough opponent, as The Cardinals finished in first place in the league, dominating most of their games. They were notorious for hitting long balls and a great pitching staff that shut down most of their opponents.
Galileo tried to play strategically to counter Lowell’s advantages by bunting and shifting their defense. Unfortunately, Lowell was just too strong for the Lions and the Cardinals ran the Lions out of the game early on. The Cardinals put up 4 runs in the first inning, and didn’t let up. The game ended 13-2, with Galileo scoring thanks to doubles from Max H. and senior second baseman Amar L.
“It was a pretty tough loss,” said Amar, adding, “We felt like we could’ve done better, but at the end of the day Lowell is a crazy good team so it was always gonna be an uphill battle for us.”
While it didn’t end the way they had hoped, the Galileo baseball team can look back on a season that was very successful. They were able to go undefeated in the regular season, a feat that few teams have managed to accomplish.
