Sea Hawks Absorb Another Tough Loss

Their chances of making it to the postseason went away weeks ago, in a stretch of losses in Bay League play to Palos Verdes, to West Torrance and Mira Costa. And on Tuesday, with an opportunity to knock another team from the postseason, the Redondo Union High Sea Hawks couldn't muster much and ended up absorbing a 13-1 loss to visiting Peninsula.

''It looks like the wheel has come off the wagon and they can't forget about what happened two weeks ago and they can't forget about what happened a week ago,'' Coach Bradey Thurman said. ''That's really, you know, the fragile mindset I guess of this group. They haven't figured out how to win and how to bounce back from adversity. But that's not easy, if you haven't learned how to do that.''

The Sea Hawks have struggled in that area, the loss their third in a row and ninth in 10 games.

In seven of those 10 losses, Redondo has struggled defensively and allowed 10 or more runs, and the loss to the Panthers in their final home game at Memorial Field was no different.

Ace Alex Mistuloff had struck out the final two batters he faced in the first inning and the first two batters that he faced in the second, but he gave up a solo home run to Peninsula second baseman Mark Okuma and the game fell apart not long thereafter.

He hit Cameron Leigh, the next batter that he faced, then gave up an infield single to Luke Streeter and a two-run triple to Yuki Takahashi. Mistuloff was able to get through the third, but was chased after allowing four runs in a fourth inning in which Redondo made three errors behind him.

At this point in the season, Mistuloff could simply be tiring some. ''Yeah, I think he's starting to realize that he could probably do more in the offseason,'' Thurman said. ''Everybody has caught up to his fastball. There were balls that didn't even pop the glove as much.

''He's going to be a late-bloomer, I think. By the time he's 19 years old, 20 years old, he's going to be somebody. I think a college pitching coach will get together, get him on a program that's year round, mandatory weight room or whatever it is, and he's going to be a different machine, that's for sure.''

''He definitely has the arm for it – one of the best arms in the South Bay, that's for sure.''

Peninsula, which remained in a tie with West Torrance for third place and the final playoff spot from the Bay League with the victory, continued to pile up the runs. And Redondo could not counter against right-hander Christian Torres, who allowed only one run while striking out in six innings.

The Sea Hawks had scoring opportunities in the second, third and fourth, when they pushed across their only run. But Torres got out of the second inning with a ground ball out, when Redondo had runners at first and third; out of the third on another ground ball, with a runner at second; and out of the fourth with a strikeout of Kyle Esparza with a runner at second.