The Rams wrapped up their regular season home schedule on a low note on April 23, 2019, dropping the first game in a three game series against the Cerro Coso Coyotes by a score of 7-

Jiovanni Savvedra threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, striking out four and walking three taking the loss.

“We were always in a hole,” head coach Ron Scott said of Savvedra’s performance. “Leadoff guy was always getting on and he made a couple of bad pitches. Just wasn’t his day tonight.”

After a relatively uneventful first two frames, the Rams got on the board first on a sacrifice fly from star outfielder Chet Allison, driving in Antonio Noriega who had reached on a single to lead off the inning.

The Coyotes tied the score in the top of the fourth on an RBI single off the bat of Nick Erickson driving in Caleb Johnson, bringing the score to a 1-1 tie.

The Rams saw the tie disappear in the top of the fifth inning, which saw Cerro Coso drive in four more runs, capped off by two doubles and a Rams’ error in the frame. By the end of the fifth, the Coyotes had taken a 5-1 lead.

Darren Jansen relieved Savvedra with one out in the top of the fifth, allowing both of his inherited baserunners to score before shutting down the Coyotes offense.

“He [Jansen] was all right tonight,” Scott said following the game. “I thought we pitched pretty poorly.”

One Rams outfielder made no doubt he showed up to play; Chet Allison blasted a two run home run in the bottom of the fifth, drawing the Rams closer at a score of 5-3.

Possibly the Rams’ best chance to score came in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two out and runners on first and second, Chet Allison reached first on an error following a hard ground ball to third. Josh May rounded third and headed to the plate while the ball was still in the infield. By the end of the play, May was easily tagged out at the plate on what appeared to be a major baserunning error.

“Coaching mistake,” coach Scott said of the misplay in the sixth inning. “He thought the ball had rolled farther away from first.”

Jansen continued to pitch very effectively, striking out five and walking two in his four innings pitched. One of his walks however came at an inopportune time in the top of the eighth. With two outs, Jansen walked Coyote’s shortstop Ezekiel Gutierrez. Following the walk, third baseman Cole Martin atoned for his earlier error by blasting a no-doubt home run over the right field fence, extending the lead to 7-3 and effectively taking the wind out of the Rams sails for the remainder of the night.

The Rams were able to draw leadoff walks in both the eighth and ninth innints, but could not plate any more runners, falling by a final score of 7-3.

While the Rams ended their home season on a loss, overall they were 17-6 at home during the regular season.

The Rams head into the playoffs having won the Central Valley Conference of the CCCAA, after a final regular season week which saw rival COS drop from first to third in the conference, and rival Taft finishing runner up.

The Rams will face Cabrillo College in their first playoff game this Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Euless Park. Cabrillo College comes into their matchup with a 22-16 record following a runner up finish in the Coast Pacific Conference.