On Tuesday, February 25, Ayala Varsity Baseball was slated to play one of their most anticipated games on their schedule, a game at home against the number one ranked team in the entire United States, the Corona Panthers. A rather local team compared to Ayala, this game would be a test of Ayala’s strength, but also a show of the weaknesses exploited by a top tier team like the Panthers.

The first two innings of the game were rather hard on the Bulldogs, as they let up one run in the first and three runs in the second. In those two, however, Ayala lacked any points to show, as those four runs scored were left unanswered. For the next two innings, Ayala’s defense proved to be pretty efficient, holding a top ranked offense to zero runs going into the fifth. A slight slip up in the top of the fifth allowed a Corona run, putting the score up 5-0.

The final two innings, as high school games go up to seven innings, was a battle to keep a low score. This was Ayala’s attempt to put some runs on the board and to contain Corona from breaking off more unanswered runs. The bottom of the seventh was Ayala’s final chance to score, yet they were unable to, ending the game with a score of 5-0. Although the game score doesn’t show the effort of the Bulldogs, holding the top team in the entire country to only five runs is a great accomplishment. This game shows that the Bulldogs are poised for a great season, and know their weaknesses and strengths.

Ayala plays in an upcoming tournament this weekend, playing two games on Saturday, March 1, with their first game yet to be determined and their second game scheduled to be against Servite High School.