Riverside Improves to 11-1 with 9-8 Home Win over Mt. San Jacinto Thursday

RIVERSIDE -- It doesn't happen too often. No, not Thursday afternoon's nonconference game which the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team won, 9-8, over the visiting Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Eagles at the Evans Sports Complex.

Well, actually that as well. RCC hadn't hosted MSJC in a baseball game since January 30, 2008 (a 10-4 RCC win), but MSJC scored the most runs in any of the innings (five, four earned, in the sixth) and didn't win the game.

Undaunted, but trailing, 8-6, heading into the bottom of the sixth, Riverside (11-1 overall) scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth, the last of which crossed the plate on a game-winning RBI single up the middle by freshman 1B Israel Fuentes (Chino Hills HS) after freshman CF Garrison Cole (Palm Desert / Xavier College Prep.) laced a one-out double to left-center field and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Mt. San Jacinto (2-10 overall) played not like a team which had won only twice in 12 starts. The Eagles led, 1-0, after one-half inning, tied the game, 3-3, after 2-1/2 innings and then overcame a 6-3 deficit thanks to the five-run sixth which was helped in part by three RCC errors.

Fuentes (two hits) and sophomore SS Austin Roberts (Riverside / Ramona HS) each had three RBI for the Tigers.

RCC starting sophomore RHP Sabino Ramirez (Cathedral City / Cathedral City HS) lasted 5-1/3 innings, but allowed seven hits and seven runs (one earned). Freshman RHP Andrew O'Brien (Corona / Corona HS) pitched the seventh and eighth frames and received credit for the win (1-0). Freshman RHP Octavio Lara (St. John Bosco HS), who is pictured, pitched the ninth and logged his second save.

Sophomore RHP Steven Velarde (San Jacinto HS) came on in the seventh and pitched part of the eighth to get ticketed for the loss (0-1). Sophomore 1B Kash Mattson (Riverside Poly HS) went three for five and drove in two runs for MSJC.

Even with last Tuesday's 13-4 loss at Mt. San Antonio, Riverside still is off to its best start since 2003 when it won its first 13 and 15 of 16. The Tigers will be idle until Tuesday, Feb. 24, when it hosts Mt. San Antonio College in a 6 p.m. start and attempts to avenge its only loss. MSJC will next play on Saturday, Feb. 21, when it visits the Imperial Valley College Arabs.

-30-