The first series of conference play for the SRJC Bear Cubs baseball team did not turn out as expected.

Despite dominating the preseason, SRJC lost the first two games against the Modesto Junior College Pirates and barely salvaged the third game.

The March 6 opener should have gone better: the team was primed with a fresh arm on the mound and players hungry for a win.

The game started out in the Bear Cubs favor. Pitcher Jason Alexander had the ball under control, retiring the first three Pirates’ batters with an out to first base and a 4-6-3 double play. In the bottom of the first inning, eight batters went to the plate, highlighted by a RBI single by Brian Bynum, a throwing error and wild pitch.

But a three-run homerun by Pirates’ Jake Hawkins in the second inning tied the score and switched the momentum. By the end of the fourth, SRJC looked lost at the plate, whereas the Pirates got on base by timely hits and errors.

By the sixth inning, the Bear Cubs had committed three errors, two by third baseman Brent Gillespie. Alexander finished the sixth giving up five earned runs, three strikeouts and a walk. Tyler Sanders relieved Alexander, giving up two runs including Garret Roberts’ home run that put Modesto up by two.

Modesto pitcher Don Fairchilds struck out Matt Nadolski and Bynum for two quick outs in the ninth before walking Brandon Baranzini. Patrick Moniz would squash any hope for a Bear Cub comeback as Fairchilds got him swinging to end the game.

“I felt like I was swinging pretty good today; I just swung at a couple bad pitches,” Moniz said. “I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit, find a gap. But unfortunately it just didn’t go our way today.”

Instead of Bear Cub roars of excitement, the only sound coming out of Sypher field was the disheartening cheers of a celebrating opponent team. The Pirates took the first game, 7-5.

The Bear Cubs had the chance to even the score in the March 8 at Pirate Field, but SRJC was unable to hold pitcher Bryan Webster’s valiant outing.

Webster shut out the Pirates through seven innings before Modesto made productive contact against him. In the eighth, Webster hit Daniel Carney before Hawkins doubled down the left field line. Two consecutive groundouts scored the only two runs given up by Webster. He finished throwing eight, giving up two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Webster handed the ball off to Wesley Deal for the ninth with a one-run lead. Deal gave up a run on three singles before he was removed for Casey Bounsall. The Bear Cubs lost the game, 5-4, putting the team two games down in the series.

The Bear Cubs headed back to SRJC for the final game on March 10, and the team was determined to play better the previous two games.

It was a tough fight for both teams: Modesto was gunning for a sweep and SRJC was hoping for a miracle win against a team they crumbled against.

Nadolski took the mound for the Bear Cubs and struggled on and off for just over five innings, but did not have any earned runs. Most of his trouble happened in innings the team committed multiple errors. The Bear Cubs had five errors in the game, leading to all five Pirates runs.

Despite the  defensive woes, the team looked good at the plate. In the fourth inning, the Bear Cubs were able to put together a string of hits and walks to score three runs. Bynum led off by beating out a throw, then stole second base before Baranzini, Anthony Sequeira and Alex Sasloff drew walks to tie the score. Then came the big hit by Dalton Johnson: a two-RBI single past second base. The Bear Cubs took a 3-1 lead, but then gave it up the next inning.

To begin the sixth, Hayden Maurice hit a squibble to Nadolski, who could not relay the throw to first base in time. He then issued two walks to load the bases. Nadolski was taken out and Scott Morrow came in for damage control. Morrow got the next batter to ground into what should have been a 6-4-3 double play, but Nick Rodda bobbled the ball and everyone was safe. A sacrifice fly by Roberts then scored one run and a throwing error on the same play would score another for a 4-3 Pirates lead.

“I think I pitched about four good innings,” Nadolski said. “But those last two innings really cost us.”

Moniz tied the game with a “down and dirty” triple before Johnson hit a single for his third RBI of the game

“The first one [RBI] I wasn’t aggressive, so I needed to redeem myself,” Johnson said. “In that last at bat in the ninth inning to tie the game, I just need to be aggressive and go with it.”

The team could put the game away, so the game went to extra innings. The teams played two innings before Ryan Strouse hit a walk-off single in the 12th inning. The Bear Cubs barreled out of the dugout to celebrating the team’s hard-fought victory.

“I was originally supposed to bunt,” Strouse said. “I was just looking for a pitch I could put down, move the guys over so the next guy could finish the job. But once he threw that ball away, and I had two strikes on me, I was just looking for a pitch I could hit hard and drive in the winning run.”

Winning one game out of three was not what the Bear Cubs had planned. During the preseason, SRJC faced many strong teams, but conference rivals will be stiffer competition the team has to prepare better for.

“It’s [the Modesto series] kind of an eye opener. Coming from the preseason and conference here, it’s definitely a different quality ball,” Webster said. “Hopefully we’ll starts swinging it a little bit more and get going.”

The Bear Cubs next home game will be against the American River Beavers at 2:30 p.m. March 15 at Sypher Field.