Errors haunt Buffs in loss to Gladstone

Madras committed five errors, several at key moments, helping Gladstone grab a 7-1 win at the Buffalos' field Thursday, April 25.

The loss dropped the Buffs to 2-7 in Tri-Valley Conference play and pushed the Gladiators to 4-5.

Sophomore Danny Jackson pitched all seven innings for Madras, and kept the Buffs in it, spreading out seven hits. But the errors behind him and a lack of offensive punch on the windy day proved too much to overcome.

The Gladiators scored a run in the top of the first. Madras leadoff hitter Dasen Rodriguez opened the bottom of the first with a double to left field. But when second hitter Noah Vibbert hit a grounder to short, Rodriguez headed to third and was easily gunned down. The play was costly as Jared Penaloza would then single to right, but Penaloza and Vibbert wound up stranded on base.

Gladstone made it 3-1 with two in the third. With a runner on third and one out, the Buffs could have gotten out of the inning but a routine grounder to short, which could have been a double play, was missed. The ball went to the outfield and scored a run.

Later in the inning, a bad throw on a catcher pickoff attempt at third base sent the ball to the outfield again, and led to the Gladiator's third run.

The Buffs showed some offensive life in the bottom of the third. Pablo Solis ripped a two-strike single to right, stole second, then advanced to third on a sacrifice fly from Rodriguez. The Glads got Vibbert to fly out to third, but then Penaloza knocked a first-pitch single to right, scoring Solis.

But that was all the scoring Madras could do off pitcher Loghan Peterson. The Buffs could collect just five hits on the day.

The Buffs committed an error on a grounder to third to start the top of the fourth, then Henry Ashbridge drilled a deep shot to left that scored a run. The Glads scored a run in the fifth when another catcher pickoff attempt at third went into left field. Gladstone slammed the door shut with two more in the seventh.

The Buffs are very young this season. Penaloza, one of four sophomores who regularly start for the Buffs, was 2-for-3 with the sole RBI to lead the Buffs' offense. Caleb Shank, a freshman infielder, also got one of the Buffs' five hits.

The squads will play again Monday in Gladstone.