Tigers Blank Visiting Irvine Valley, 4-0, Friday in Regular Season Finale for Both

RIVERSIDE – In a must-win game and the regular season finale for both teams, Andrew O'Brien threw eight innings of shut-out ball and the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's baseball team went on to a 4-0 win over the visiting Irvine Valley College (IVC) Lasers in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) game Friday afternoon (Apr. 29) at Evans Sports Complex.

Winning the final two games of the three-game series (in which all three games a shut-out was recorded), Riverside City (21-15 overall, 9-12 OEC) enhanced its chances of receiving a berth this weekend in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional playoffs which begin on Tuesday, May 3 (with play-in games).

O'Brien, a sophomore starting RHP from Corona (Corona HS '13), who is pictured, scattered three hits and walked one while striking out three to lower his earned run average (E.R.A.) to 2.25. His record improved to 5-4.

Irvine Valley (17-19 overall, 8-13 OEC) had its improve earlier in the week when Fullerton College forfeited 14 victories for the use of an ineligible player. IVC starting sophomore RHP Jason McLellan (Edison HS) lasted only 3.0 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with one strikeout as his record fell to 1-4.

Riverside City posted two runs in bottom of the first inning and added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth for the final 4-0 count.

In the first, freshman 1B Ryan Mota (Fontana / Kaiser HS '14) had a RBI single to right field to drive in sophomore DH Casey Sheehan (Redlands / Redlands East Valley HS '14) for a 1-0 RCC lead. A fielder's choice drove in another run for a 2-0 RCC lead.

In the eighth, sophomore LF Michael Darr (Corona / Santiago HS '14) led off with a walk and scored on a RBI single by freshman RF Dean Miller (Riverside / Ramona HS '15). In between, sophomore SS Brody Weiss (Denver, CO / Regis Jesuit HS '13) singled to short stop and scored the game's final run on a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of sophomore catcher Tommie Pincin (Upland / Upland HS '14),

Weiss went two for three to pace RCC.

Sophomore SS Jordan Gillerman (Canyon HS) had a single in the fourth and a lead-off double in the seventh and went two for four for IVC.

Riverside City hopes to receive a berth in next week's playoffs pending a call this weekend..

-30