La Palma, CA — The Elks High School Baseball Tournament continued Wednesday afternoon as Kennedy welcomed the Esperanza Aztecs to their La Palma field. It was ideal weather for baseball as the temperatures hovered in the mid-eighties and short-sleeved crowd gathered to watch the action. Esperanza jumped off to a one run lead in the 2nd inning and Kennedy answered back in the 4th when Chase Leonard drove home Sebastian McSherry to tie it up. A hit, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single put the Aztecs ahead once more in the 6th. They added to their lead with 2 more in the last frame, one of which scored on a bases loaded wild pitch. Kennedy came up for their last at bat trailing 4-1 and mounted a final challenge by loading the bases with 2 outs. Chase Leonard worked the count full and fouled off a few pitches before finally taking a run-scoring walk, narrowing the lead to 4-2. But that is how it would end as the Irish went down to a 4-2 defeat. Ryan Kennedy turned in a strong performance on the mound for the Irish, pitching into the 7th inning, scattering 6 hits and allowing only 2 runs, one of which was unearned. He set down 2 Aztec hitters on strikeouts. But the Irish were not able to capitalize on Ryan’s fine outing. Although they had runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings, they stranded 14 runners on the base paths and were able to push across only the 2 runs. Jason May had another strong day at the plate. He belted two doubles, both of which reached the fence. He added a base on balls and was on base four times. Tyler Beckler continued to own opposing pitching, hitting with confidence and authority. He collected 2 hits and his most solid hit of the day was probably the one he was retired on, lacing a solid line drive right at the left fielder. Chase Leonard also collected 2 hits and reached base two other times by way of walk and being hit by a pitch. He was credited with driving in both of the Kennedy runs. Evan Chadwick and Cathcart each added a single to round out the offense. Cathcart also played some fine defense in centerfield, running down long drives for outs. One other play should be noted. In the 4th inning, with a runner tagging at 3rd, Evan Chadwick caught a fly in the right field corner. He threw a strike to Wyatt Johnson who relayed it to the plate to cut down the runner and end the inning. The Irish continue to find the going hard in the early season. Their greatest danger, however, is to lose confidence in their potential. It would appear that they have significant talent both on the mound and at the plate. But, talent can only take you so far. Good teams develop a gritty, never-say-die, never-out-of it attitude. They learn to scratch and claw and keep fighting when the odds are against them. They learn to love one another and stand together, picking each other up and having each other’s backs. And that is the good news for this young season. That is what pre-season games are all about. You don’t learn those things in a classroom. You learn it on the field, in the face of failure and defeat. Right now, the Irish are going through the furnace. But, the furnace burns away that which is worthless and it hardens that which is of good quality. There is good quality in this team. But it needs perseverance to grow. “Let us not grow weary …….. “ Kennedy returns to action Friday at 3pm on their home field.