Gathered together to celebrate the departing seniors of the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) baseball team on April 22, 2024, emotions ran high as this was the annual Senior Night, a special occasion for many of the athletes. Friends and family came together and reflected on the journey these seniors had undertaken over the past four years, leaving an undeniable mark on both the program and the community at Foothill Tech.

With the Dragons excited at the thought of winning and closing out the season strong for their seniors, they faced off against Cate School (Cate) with a new sense of focus and determination. Their efforts resulted in an impressive performance, closing out the game with a win, 8-0.
The first inning brought little action from both sides of the field. However, in the top of the first, with Jack Pankratz ‘24 pitching, he was able to easily strike out Cate’s best attempt to connect with the ball. The bottom of the second would be short-lived for the Dragons, with three swift outs. Foothill Tech struggled to establish their lead early on.

Departing senior Jackson Basurto ‘24 commented on the emotional atmosphere of the game, stating, “The atmosphere was great; we had a good, loud crowd. Senior night means a lot to me. I’ve been playing baseball for all four years … and it being my last game on the field means a lot.”
Later on, after a slow first and second inning, the Dragons began to pick up speed in the third inning to establish their dominance. At the top of the third, Foothill Tech was once again able to prevent Cate from making it across home plate, with Hayden Villa ‘24 on first stopping any attempt at taking the plate.
The bottom of the inning saw Foothill Tech’s Hudson Donaldson ‘24 send a ball deep into right field, and with a sacrifice bunt from Cooper Casey ‘27, Donaldson was able to steal home and get the Dragons on the board, closing out the third inning, 1-0.

The fourth and fifth innings allowed for the Dragons to continue their dominance over Cate. Plays from David Arth ‘27, Shane White ‘26 and Russell Brown ‘24 allowed for the bases to be fully loaded as Donaldson stepped up to bat and drilled the ball deep for a home run, bringing all four runners home and closing out the inning, 5-0.

The fifth inning continued that momentum, as the Dragons tried to keep the pressure on Cate, getting two more runners home, for a score of 7-0.
The final two innings were brief as Cate still struggled to connect with Foothill Tech’s pitching, and with run by Jude Jimenez ‘24, that concluded the action for the game, ending the match-up with a final score of 8-0.
Aidan Tanii-Lund ‘24 briefly reflected on how the team performed, commenting, “I think it was pretty chill; everyone was hyped… everyone did their part.”
The Dragons’ next game will once again be against Cate on April 24, 2024, for an game on Cate’s home field.