Falcons lose at DVC; pitching woes continue

With a chance to take game three (and 2 out of 3) against Diablo Valley on Friday afternoon, the Falcons instead handed the Vikings a six-run 2^nd inning – thanks to four walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch, and just two Viking hits – that erased a 3-run Falcon lead and led to an 11-6 Diablo Valley victory.  The Vikings scored their 11 runs while recording just 6 hits in the game, but took full advantage of 7 walks issued by Falcon pitching.  The Falcon offense collected 9 hits, including doubles by James Powers and Braeden Holliday and a triple by Hiyato Niki.  In his two games in the leadoff spot, Niki has gone 7-for-8 (with 2 triples) and reached base 9 of his 10 plate appearances.  But even with Niki setting the table, the heart of the order (catcher Alex Schroeder and 1b Troy Shields) combined to go 0-for-8 and stranded 6 runners.  The Falcons dropped to 13-7 overall and are 2-4 in Big 8 play.

This week, the Falcons will play three against Sierra, with Thursday's game being the lone home game (2:30 pm).