With the field seeming to be playable at first, the Bears and Lions picked up their gloves to compete on Thursday, but rain stopped the game in the second inning and both ball clubs were forced to step off the field and head for home without a win or loss.
“The weather’s hurt us just like it’s hurt every other team, and we’ve got to get out in the field and work some of these kinks out,” said Mission head coach Dan Grossman.
Before it was stopped, the game did not look good for the Bears, as things got ugly in a hurry. The Lions burst out of the gates and scored seven runs in the first inning alone. Mission would be held scoreless in their frame at bat, while the Lions punched in two more runs before the game was discontinued.
“We’re still a work in progress, and we’re getting more experienced,” Grossman said after the game. “We have an outstanding senior class — David Johnson, Stephen [Zhou] as well, Edgar Linares could be included in that conversation when he’s on.” Mission’s skipper this year will rely heavily on the team’s upperclassmen to take on a leadership role.
“We’ve got some good juniors as well in Jose Murillo, Arturo Franquez when he gets back from injury, and Francisco Chin,” Grossman said with a smile on his face.
With only a handful of returning troops from the previous year, brand-new faces make up the majority of the team. Even the coaching staff has changed, as two assistants have been added. With this new identity, Mission is definitely going to have a lot of work in store for them, but for now, they wait patiently for the skies to clear up.