Hoover Makes 5 Errors in 7-1 Loss to Arcadia

Opportunity didn’t exactly knock for Arcadia High on Friday. It broke the door down and barged in.

Hoover committed five errors and watched the Pacific League baseball game scoot by like a botched grounder, 7-1.

With a win, Hoover could have moved to within a half-game of the first-place Apaches. Instead, the Tornadoes (11-5, 6-4) remain in third behind Arcadia (16-4, 8-1) and Pasadena (11-5, 8-2).

Arcadia scored two runs in the second inning when, with the bases loaded and two out, Mike Gerken hit a routine grounder that shot between shortstop Brian Day’s legs. Earlier in the inning, Jon Graves reached base after Day’s high throw pulled first baseman Mickey Moreno off the bag.

In the fifth, with Hoover trailing, 3-1, pitcher David Berkey spun and attempted to pick off Jim Aiwasian at first. But he misfired and the ball rolled into the outfield, allowing Ted Pilmer to score from third.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, left fielder Reggie Mercado misplayed a fly ball that sailed over his head and brought home the final three runs.

“Everybody’s trying their best but we just can’t win with errors like that,” Hoover Coach Bob Cooper said.

But the Tornadoes might have committed an error long before they stepped on the field. Berkey (5-3) had pitched complete games in Hoover’s past two victories, on Tuesday and last Friday. He had never before pitched two--let alone three--consecutive games in his career.

Although Berkey held the Apaches to seven hits and one earned run in 4 2/3 innings, he was running on empty for much of the game.

“I was trying to save my arm but we weren’t getting any runs,” said Berkey, who tried to get by with off-speed pitches early. “When I started heating it up, it wasn’t there.”

Berkey was not too tuckered to swing the bat, though, collecting two of Hoover’s five hits and scoring its only run.