Baseball sufer 3-6 loss against American

By Tanvi Deshmukh & Elaheh Khazi Staff Writers

On April 6, MSJ Varsity Baseball faced off against the American High School Eagles. In a fast-paced match with high stakes and riveting plays, the Warriors lost the game with a fnal score of 3-6.

The Eagles started off on offense but quickly struck out during the frst inning. The Warriors also faced a rocky start, as their frst two batters struck out after attempts at receiving strategic pitches from the Eagles. With only Back-Up Catcher Freshman Vihaan Chawla and First Baseman Senior Roshan Sanjeev managing to reach frst base MSJ ended their inning with zero runs after Co-Captain Right Fielder Senior Joseph Du also struck out.

In the frst half of the second inning, Co-Captain Pitcher Senior Kaden Voong struck out several American players with calculated pitches. “Kaden pitched a really good six innings. He went his maximum pitches, 110 pitches, which is very good and probably one of the best outings we’ve seen from one of our pitchers this year,” Co-Captain Center Fielder Senior Aidan Paragas said. Regardless, a home run from American and two additional runs ended the frst half of the second inning at 0-3.

Even though the Warriors successfully returned the pitches, the Eagles quickly tagged the Warriors out or caught their hits. The Warriors also responded boldly on defense with strikeout catches from the outfeld and Voong at the pitcher’s mound. After the last American players struck out during the inning, MSJ’s strong defense brought back hope.

With MSJ back on offense during the third inning, Paragas hit the ball and advanced to frst base. Unfortunately, Co-Captain Shortstop Senior Zachary Okino was subsequently tagged out despite landing a direct hit on bat, with Paragas advancing to third base. Voong batted next and was able to hit the ball, allow- ing Paragas to score the frst run for MSJ. When Chawla batted, his hit allowed Voong to score the second run for MSJ while Chawla reached third base. With two players out and third base loaded, Sanjeev’s hit enabled Chawla to score the third point for MSJ before the half-inning ended due to Du getting out. Smooth plays and good team effort from the warriors in the third inning prevented American from scoring again and tied the score at 3-3.

In the fourth inning, MSJ scored zero points despite the bases being loaded with Paragas on third base. When American came up to bat, MSJ’s defense prevailed once again, preventing American from scoring. The ffth inning followed the same rhythm as three consecutive American players retired, one of which resulted from an impressive catch by Du. However, the Warriors submitted to the Eagles’s strong defense in the sixth inning.

Entering the seventh inning with the score tied, American’s ferce offense enabled them to bring eight players up to bat. Even with stellar catches from Left Fielder Sophomore Aadit Kolli, American batters accumulated three runs total, bringing the score to 3-6. In the fnal half-inning with pressure on MSJ’s offense, the bases were initially loaded as Voong and Du hit effcient line drives and Catcher Junior Vinhson Nguyen walked. However, American’s pitcher felded Designated Hitter Sophomore Chibin Loo’s ground ball to make a quick throw frst to home and then to frst base, retiring two of MSJ’s players in a double play. Despite a powerful offense from the Warriors in the fnal inning, the team was unable to outweigh American’s intricate defensive plays.

Refecting on the game, MSJ Varsity Baseball Coach Bobby Kanno intends to improve the team’s defensive skills and chemistry for the season’s remainder. Additionally, the captains hope to capitalize on hitting and work on maintaining players’ endurance. “It was a close game [but] we just made too many critical errors and we didn’t get hits when we needed it,” Kanno said. ▪

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April

1-2, cat enthusiasts gathered at the Alameda County Fairgrounds to attend the Pleasanton Cat Extravaganza and Adoption Event, a regional cat show hosted by the Loving Cats Worldwide (LCWW) Group. Featuring an adoption center, cat competition, and shopping village, the extravaganza saw a weekend of wholesale cat appreciation.

One of the main reasons that an increasing number of cats have been put up for adoption is the failure of pet owners to spay or neuter their cats, resulting in unsustainable populations of unwanted kittens. Breeders compound the issue, as they detract from the number of shelter adoptions with the offer of specially-bred animals. “Perfectly healthy cats get put down for no other reason than the shelters are full, and then we have designer kitties that people buy when we have beautiful animals that need to be rescued,” Paws

That Matter Representative Sheree Ross said. At the adoption center, rescue cats lay nestled in blanketed cages, from one with a black-and-white Maine Coon to another housing an orange tabby and her months-old kittens. Throughout the event, crowds of sympathetic attendees interacted with the rescues, speaking to Ross about each cat’s unique needs and bringing in a high turnout of adoption applications. Ross herself adopted two of the orange tabby’s kittens, having fostered them in her home prior to the show.

By Jiyun Guo & Andria Luo Staff Writers

Throughout the weekend, cats competed in the LCWW cat competition, with seasoned judges awarding each contestant a score out of 100 points. “Every breed of cat has a standard of points that’s written for them … there’s a certain amount of points allotted for the body, the eyes, the shape of the ears,” Judge Steven Meserve said. As each furry contestant took the stand, the presiding judge stretched and smushed the cats to show off their unique features and amiable personalities. Judges provided a stream of technical commentary for audience members, peppering their speeches with quirky descriptions and fun facts about each breed. For example, the Cheshire cat was inspired by British shorthairs, and Sphynx cats are affectionate enough to be termed “suede-covered hot water bottles”. On the second day of judging, a Bengal cat, a descendant of the wild Asian leopard cat, took home the rst place prize in the junior age category for its striking resemblance to its ancestor.

Along the border of the showroom, vendors sold products and novelty trinkets for humans and cats alike. Cat owners could buy essential supplies for their furry friends, such as plush cat beds, litter boxes, and carriers, as well as leisure items, including catnip socks and an arsenal of other cat toys sure to satisfy even the most picky feline friend. For their human counterparts, vendors presented a wide selection of souvenir items, ranging from custom cat portraits and cat pun t-shirts to crochet cat wallets and cat plushies of different breeds. Some vendors also stocked other cat-related trinkets such as rubber cat-ducks and cat mugs for keen collectors. The pop-ups were a hit with attendees, who spent time between cat shows browsing the aisles and ocking around vendors introducing their products.