Rowe Posts First Complete Game; Tigers Blank Orange Coast, 3-0

RIVERSIDE -- Tyler Rowe went the distance for the squad's first complete of the season as the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's baseball team blanked the visiting Orange Coast College (OCC) Pirates, 3-0, Thursday afternoon (April 3) in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) game at Evans Sports Complex.

Rowe, a freshman right-handed pitcher from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos HS), needed only 108 pitches (70 strikes) -- as many as there are stitches on a baseball -- as he limited the heretofore first-place Pirates to six hits, including a one-out triple in the third and a two-out double in the ninth. Rowe (3-3) walked two and struck out four.

With the win, the Tigers won two of the three games in the seasonal seriers with OCC.

All the scoring came in the bottom of the fourth when Riverside (14-14, 8-7 OEC) parlayed four singles and a two-out catcher's interference call into the three runs, the first two being earned off OCC starting sophomore RHP David Hill (El Modena HS). Hill, who was unbeaten in seven previous decisions, went the first five frames and allowed ten hits and one walk with four strikeouts as his record fell to 7-1. Coming into the game, Hill was 7-0 (two complete games) with a 0.81 ERA in 66-2/3 innings.

In the fortuitous fourth, freshman LF Cade Egri (La Quinta / La Quinta HS) singled to center field with one out. Freshman 3B Anthony Ayala (Fontana / Fontana HS) followed with a single through the left side. Freshman RF David Robles (San Bernardino / Rialto HS) singled to right-center field to plate Egri with the game's first run as Ayala raced to third. Sophomore C Michael Deceglie (Rancho Cucamonga / Los Osos HS) singled through the left to drive in Ayala for a 2-0 RCC lead. Sophomore SS Nick King (Palm Springs / Palm Springs HS) singled to third base to load the bases. A short flyout to left field accounted for the second out before freshman DH Garrett Dean was awarded first base on catcher's interference to force in Robles with the third run (unearned) of the inning.

King, who was involved in all three outs in the top of the third inning on a pair of groundouts and a diving catch of a line drive, had a pair of hits for the Tigers, as did Egro and Robles.

Sophomore CF Cory Bruder (Santiago HS) had a pair of hits, including the triple, for Orange Coast (21-8, 9-6 OEC), which fell out of first place with the loss.

Both teams continue OEC action on Saturday, Apr. 5, at 12 p.m. when OCC hosts the Saddleback College Gauchos, who are all alone in first place (10-5 OEC), while RCC will visit the Fullerton College (FC) Hornets. Both RCC and FC are tied for third at 8-7 along with Santa Ana (17-11) and Cypress (17-11).

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