Benicia High’s varsity baseball team had a tough time with Alhambra pitcher Zach Keever and lost 5-2 Tuesday in Benicia.

Keever, one of the top pitching prospects in the nation and committed to U.C. Santa Barbara, allowed only three hits and struck out seven in a complete-game effort. Keever retired the first nine batters and the final nine batters he faced, striking out the side in the seventh to hand the Panthers (2-1) their first loss of the year.

“We ran into a pretty good pitcher,” Benicia manager Jim Bowles said of Keever. “He threw a really good game.”

Alhambra (1-2) did all of its damage in the first three innings. Greg Rossi ripped a two-out, two-run single in the top of the first to put the Bulldogs in front. Trenton Greene led off the third with a single and Tyler Peters reached safely on a Benicia infield error. Beck singled to left to score Greene, and after an infield fly out, Jordyn Eglite crushed a two-run double to right to make it 5-0.

Benicia’s only base runners of the day came in a two-run fourth inning. Ethan Payne and Caleb Van Blake each stroked one-out singles, and after a wild pitch, Jason Toumbs pulled a double to left that brought them both home to make it 5-2.

Neither team managed to reach base over the final three innings. Benicia reliever Niko Leon Guerrero pitched four perfect innings and struck out three.

“You never like to lose, but we showed a lot of heart and a ton of character after falling behind 5-0,” Bowles said. “It would have been easy for us to roll over but we actually outscored them over the final four innings. We won the second half of that game.”

Benicia plays at Vintage on Friday.

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