Tigers Avenge Lone Loss, Improve to 12-1 with 11-4 Home Win over Mt. San Antonio Tuesday

RIVERSIDE -- David Schuknecht socked his second home run of the season, Dajohn Murray homered as well and Brody Weiss belted a three-run triple to break open the game as the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team avenged its lone loss with an 11-4 nonconference win over the visiting Mt. San Antonio College (MSAC) Mounties Tuesday night (Feb. 24) at the Evans Sports Complex.

Riverside (12-1 overall), which won its first ten games to open the season, dropped a 13-4 decision at MSAC last Tuesday (Feb. 17), but has won two in a row since.

Weiss, a freshman infielder from Denver, CO (Regis Jesuit HS) highlighted a five-run outburst in the bottom of the third inning when he socked a 1-1 pitch into the left-field corner to chase home a trio of Tigers (who had all walked ahead of him) to give RCC a 4-0 lead.

In the fourth, Weiss doubled home freshman CF Garrison Cole (Palm Desert), who had doubled to open the frame, and then Weiss scored when Schuknecht, a sophomore 1B from Palm Desert, socked his second home run of the season -- a blast to right-center field -- to give RCC a 9-0 lead.

Weiss went two for five with two runs scored and four RBI. Schuknecht went three for four with two runs scored and three RBI.

Murray, who came into the game batting .714 (five for seven), smashed a two-run home run down the left-field line to cap the game's scoring and give RCC the 11-4 margin. Murray, who went one for three, saw his batting average go down to .600 (six for ten).

Sophomore starting RHP Angel Delgado (Beaumont / Beaumont '13) was perfect for five innings before Esteban Ortega sent a 3-1 pitch on a line over the head of SS Anthony Ayala to open the sixth for the Mounties' first hit and base runner. Delgado went 6.0 innings, allowed two hits, two runs (one earned), walked none and struck out six to gain his first win of the season (1-0). In 16.2 innings pitched, his earned run average is 2.70.

MSAC (7-5 overall) starting LHP Michael Starns lasted only 2.0 innings and allowed one hit, four runs (three earned), five walks and struck out two as his record fell to 3-1.

Riverside continues its best start since 2003 when it won its first 13 and 15 of 16. The Tigers return to action on Thursday, Feb. 26, when they open Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa in a 2 p.m. start. RCC will continue OEC play at Irvine Valley College on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 12 p.m. before hosting the Santa Ana College Dons on Tuesday, March 3, at 2 p.m.

MSAC will be idle until Tuesday, March 3, when it opens South Coast Conference action with the first of a three-game series at L.A. Harbor.

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