Riverside Comes From Behind and then Hangs On for 4-3 Home Win over Cypress.

RIVERSIDE -- The Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's baseball team should hope for wet grounds more often, regardless of venue, because for the second straight day, the Tigers posted an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) victory, a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Cypress College Chargers Tuesday afternoon (March 4) at the Evans Sports Complex.

Riverside (8-8, 2-1 OEC), which won, 9-3, on Monday (Mar. 3) in a makeup game that was originally scheduled for last Saturday (Mar. 1), was the benefactor of a home game Tuesday when Cypress' home field was unplayable due to wet grounds.

After falling behind, 1-0, after two innings and 2-1 after 5-1/2 innings, the Tigers parlayed a pair of hits, including a fly ball that was lost in the sun for a triple, a trio of walks and a hit batter into three runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-2 lead.

Sophomore SS Nick King (Palm Springs / Palm Springs HS) went three for five with three infield hits, including a pair of bunt singles and a groundball single to shortstop whose throw to first he just flat out beat. Sophomore 3B Nick Bruno (Hemet / Hemet HS) had a pair of singles, including one which led off the sixth inning.

RCC freshman starting RHP Tyler Rowe (Rancho Cucamonga / Los Osos HS) went the first seven innings and allowed two runs (both earned) on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts to improve to 2-2. Freshman relief RHP Cory Peterson (Rancho Cucamonga / Etiwanda HS) pitched the final 2/3-inning to earn his first save.

Cypress (10-6, 1-2 OEC) was led by sophomore DH Joe Duffin who went two for four with one run and one RBI while using a wood bat. The Chargers' sophomore starting RHP Dalton Douty deserved a better fate. He went the first five innings plus and allowed three runs (all earned) on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts as his record fell to 1-3.

With the win, the Tigers will next play on Thursday, Mar. 6, when they host the Orange Coast College (OCC) Pirates at 2 p.m.

-30-