Taft Scores in Top of Ninth for 4-3 Win over Host Riverside City Thursday

RIVERSIDE -- The Taft College (TC) Cougars combined timely hitting, four double plays and scored the winning run in the top of the ninth for a 4-3 nonconference win over the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team Thursday (April 2) afternoon at the Evans Sports Complex.

Taft (15-11 overall), which snapped a seven-game losing streak, sandwiched a pair of hit batters around a walk in the top of the ninth to load the bases with no outs before a wild pitch allowed the go-ahead run to score.

In the fifth, the Cougars took a 3-1 lead on a lead-off single, a pair of RBI doubles and a run-producing sacrifice bunt.

Riverside (18-10 overall) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Freshman 1B Israel Fuentes (Chino Hills HS) singled and went to second on an errant relay throw from left field. Fuentes advanced to third on a single and scored on an infield throwing error off the bat of sophomore DH Garrett Dean (Alta Loma HS). Garrett was credited with a run batted in.

The Tigers hit into double plays in the first (line out), third, fourth and eighth innings. With two outs, sophomore LF David Schuknecht (Palm Desert / Palm Desert HS) deposited a 1-1 pitch over the right-field fence to tie the game at 3-3.

Riverside's top three batters in the order combined to go eight for 12, paced by Fuentes and sophomore CF Logan Griffin (Apple Valley / Oak Hills HS) who each had three hits, but those aforementioned double plays scuttled any further chance of the Tigers producing more runs.

Taft freshman starting RHP Robby Brewster (Las Vegas, NV / Spring Valley HS) went the first innings and scattered 10 hits, allowed the three runs (all earned), walked two and struck out two to improve to 4-3. Reliever Eric Evans pitched a flawless ninth to earn his third save.

RCC starting sophomore RHP Tyler Rowe (Rancho Cucamonga / Los Osos HS) also pitched the first 8.0 innings, scattered eight hits, allowed three  runs (all earned), walked none and struck out seven, but left with a "no decision." Reliever Octavio Lara (St. John Bosco HS) pitched the bases loaded in the ninth and received the loss (0-1).

Riverside will be idle until Tuesday, Apr. 7, when it visits the Saddleback College Gauchos in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) game beginning at 2 p.m. Taft will continue its swing through the Southland when it visits the Moorpark College Raiders on Friday, Apr. 3, in a nonconference game beginning at 2 p.m.

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