Vaqs continue sliding

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — To say the least, the Glendale Community College baseball team’s defense and pitching have fallen apart at the wrong time of the season.

Those are the main reasons why the Vaqueros are quickly falling out of contention for a playoff spot.

Glendale college had plenty of problems in the field and saw its pitching continue to struggle Thursday afternoon during a 10-2 home loss to College of the Canyons in a Western State Conference Southern Division contest at Stengel Field.

The Vaqueros (10-16, 4-7 in the division) have lost four games in a row, further perplexing Glendale college Coach Chris Cicuto. Glendale college, which suffered an 8-4 road division loss to L.A. Valley College on Tuesday, committed five errors Thursday in the first of four meetings this season with powerful Canyons (17-8, 11-2).

“We are playing bad baseball all the way around,” said Cicuto, whose team has yielded at least eight runs in its last three games. “It’s simple things for the most part, but they are choking.

“It’s super frustrating for me. Right now, it’s real tough. There’s still a lot of season left, and we have to make it respectable because winning conference is out of each right now.”

Canyons led the entire game, mostly taking advantage of four Glendale college errors to build a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

The low light for the Vaqueros, who will face Canyons on the road at 1 p.m. Saturday, came in the second.

With two outs and a runner on second, Canyons’ Tyreace House hit a grounder to third baseman John DeGomez. DeGomez threw the ball down the right-field line, allowing Brian Charnock to score to make it 3-0. Glendale college right fielder Ellis Bowen Jr. retrieved the ball, but threw it past DeGomez at third to allow House to score.

“It’s a mental slump,” Cicuto said. “What can you do when you do as much as you can as a coaching staff?

“They are the ones who are playing the games, but I still have to do a better job.”

The Vaqueros showed a pulse in the bottom of the second, when they scored twice with the help of Canyons fumbling the ball around the field.

Chris Arredondo and St. Francis High graduate Andrew Sember each scored an unearned run.

Canyons regrouped quickly by scoring twice in the fourth against Glendale college starting pitcher Michael Mendoza (1-1) to extend its lead to 6-2. The Vaqueros never came close again to mounting a comeback.

“[Canyons] has a good hitting club, and they took advantage of our mistakes,” Cicuto said.

Mendoza, a freshman right-hander, allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Arredondo collected two of Glendale college’s three hits. Sember had the other hit.

Canyons starting pitcher Mike McCravey (5-2) picked up the victory. The left-hander struck out six in seven innings.

The Vaqueros and Cougars will meet during the final two games of the regular season on April 29 and May 1.