Bailey's RBI Hit Batter Pushes In Gonzalez with Go-ahead Run in 4-3 Win Over Visiting Grossmont Thursday

RIVERSIDE -- Jack Bailey was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning and John Gonzalez brought home that go-ahead run as the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team edged the visiting Grossmont College Griffins, 4-3, in a non-conference game at the Samuel C. Evans Sports Complex Thursday afternoon (Feb. 2).

Riverside City (3-3 overall) opened a 2-0 lead after three innings on a RBI double to left field by freshman catcher Peter Gomez (Eastvale - Eleanor Roosevelt HS '14), which drove in freshman LF Erick Rayford (Chino Hills / Chino - Ayala HS '16) in the second inning and a solo home run by Gonzalez, a sophomore 1B from Corona (Corona HS '15), in the third, his first roundtripper of the season.

Grossmont (2-2 overall) forged a 2-2 tie in the top of the fourth. With two outs, freshman DH Niko Navarro (Los Osos HS) was hit by a pitch from RCC starting RHP Matt Acosta (San Bernardino - Cajon HS '14). Up stepped sophomore 1B Noah Strohl (La Jolla HS) whopromptly banged a 1-1 pitch over the left-center field fence to tie the game for the Griffins.

RCC added a run in the fifth on a RBI groundout before Grossmont tied the game at 3-3 on a RBI groundout by Navarro.

Sophomore RHP Darin May (Moreno Valley - Valley View HS '14), who pitched the seventh and allowed a hit and a walk, picked up the win (2-0) for RCC. Freshman RHP Zac Filos (Murrieta - Murrieta Mesa HS '16) came into the game with one on and no outs in the top of the ninth in relief of freshman RHP Andrew Quintero (Riverside - John W. North HS '16) and retired the next three Grossmont batters on a line out, a fly out and a pop out to notch his first save (1) of the season.

Gonzalez, a sophomore 1B from Corona (Corona HS '15) led RCC with two hits in four at bats with two runs scored and one RBI. Acosta -- who is pictured -- went the first six innings and allowed three runs (earned) on three hits, two hits and no walks along with six strikeouts. 

After a day off on Friday, Feb. 3, the Tigers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 4, when they host the West Los Angeles College (WLAC) Wildcats in a non-conference game at 6 p.m.

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