Holguin Dismisses First-Pitch Jolt : Prep baseball: Rio Mesa pitcher settles down after allowing early home run. Spartans coast, 12-3.

Rio Mesa High pitcher Luis Holguin watched his first pitch of the game Friday against Santa Barbara sail off Tom Anderson’s bat and over the right-field fence. Holguin did not even flinch.

Even if he had, Holguin had catcher Sam Garcia to settle him down. Garcia leaped out to the mound to calm his pitcher almost as quickly as Anderson’s blast jetted out of the park.

“I went out and told him to get with it,” Garcia said. “One run is nothing to this team, just act like it never happened. We will get it back. It didn’t scare me and it didn’t scare (Holguin).”

Garcia did more than just console Holguin. He went three for four and knocked in three runs in the Spartans’ 12-3 Channel League victory at Rio Mesa. Angel Lopez added two hits in three at-bats and Dmitri Young knocked in two runs with a double down the left-field line in the fourth inning.

“I was pleased that we were able to play seven strong innings,” said Rio Mesa Coach Rich Duran, whose team improved to 6-1, 2-0 in league play. “We played hard and hit well the whole game and our pitching staff threw seven good innings. It was our best complete game of the year.”

After Anderson’s first-inning blast, Duran thought his club might have trouble against the Dons (3-3, 2-1), but Holguin allowed only two more hits in his four innings. Jon Mitchell came on in the fifth and finished the game for Holguin (3-0).

“I got better after the first batter, but I expect more from myself,” Holguin said. “It was a good game and a good win, but I expect to do better.”

Santa Barbara Coach Fred Warrecker felt it was the umpire’s strike zone, not Holguin’s pitching, that hurt his club’s offense.

“I don’t think their pitching was that great,” Warrecker said. “When we got behind, we had to keep swinging against a tight strike zone, while they were able to take pitches.”