Tigers Take Middle Game of Three-game Series, 4-3, over Western Nevada

Tigers Take Middle Game of Three-game Series, 4-3, over Western Nevada

RIVERSIDE -- Finally taking the lead and winning on the game's last pitch, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's baseball team came from behind twice en route to a 4-3 non-conference win over the visiting Western Nevada College (WNC) Wildcats Friday night (Feb. 14) at the Evans Sports Complex.

Riverside (5-4) erased deficits of 2-0, and, 3-2, before coming back for the (wild pitch) "walk-off" win in the bottom of the ninth. Freshmen RF Cade Egri (La Quinta / La Quinta HS) and DH Garrett Dean (Alta Loma / Alta Loma HS) opened with walks before being dacrificed to thired and second bases, respectively. On the first pitch during an intentional walk to freshman 1B Kyle Callahan (Oak Hills / Oak Hills HS), the delivery sailed over the catcher's head and highly extended glove, enabling Egri to race home with the winning run.

Western Nevada (6-4) tallied a pair of unearned runs in the fourth inning and then broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth. With two outs and nobody on, sophomore RF Alex Fife (Draper, UT) drew a walk following a 3-2 count and then was chased home on a line-drive RBI double deep into the left-field corner off the bat of sophomore SS Tony Roque (Boise, ID), giving the Wildcats a 3-2 lead. Roque had two RBI to lead the Wildcats.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers tied the game at 3-3 on an unearned run when pinch hitter Paul Martinez, a sophomore from Riverside - Arlington HS singled to drive in the equalizer.

Dean, Callahan and sophomore 3B Nick Bruno (Hemet / Hemet HS) each had two hits to pace a ten-hit Tiger attack. Sophomore CF Connor Harber (Astoria, OR) had two hits for WNC.

RCC sophomore relief RHP Tyler Leslie (Helendale / Silverado HS / Victor Valley CC) pitched the final two innings to earn his first win (1-0) of the season.  WNC sophomore relief RHP Jeremy Alderman (Cheney, WA) pitched three innings and was the crestfallen loser (0-1).

The rubber game of the three-game series will be played tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m.

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