Four-run First Propels Riverside to 8-3 Home Win over Mt. San Antonio Tuesday

RIVERSIDE – Thanks to a four-run first inning, the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team went on to post an 8-3 non-conference home win over the visiting Mt. San Antonio College (MSAC) Mounties Tuesday evening (Feb. 21) at Samuel C. Evans Park.

The win avenged a 4-3 loss at MSAC last Tuesday (Feb. 14) in which the Mounties pushed across three runs in the bottom of the ninth for the win.

Riverside City (10-5 overall) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when red-shirt freshman SS Peter McEvoy (Colorado Springs, CO – Pine Creek [CO] HS '15) hit a double to left field on a 0-2 pitch and scored on a RBI single to center field by freshman RF Patrick Vizcaino (Chino – Don Lugo HS '14). Vizcaino stole second and freshman catcher Peter Gomez hit an infield single up the middle to set the stage for sophomore LF John Gonzalez (Corona – Corona HS '15), who socked a 1-1 fastball over the right-field fence for a three-run home run, his team-leading third circuit clout of the season.

After Mt. San Antonio (5-7 overall) crept to within 4-3 with a three-run fourth, RCC sophomore DH Dean Miller (Riverside – Ramona HS '15) singled and scored on a two-run home run by sophomore 1B Ryan Mota (Fontana / Kaiser HS '14), who hit a 0-1 curve ball over the left-center field fence for a 6-3 RCC lead. Mota's round tripper was his third of the season as well and tied him with Gonzalez.

RCC starting sophomore LHP Blake Tuthill (Redlands – Redlands East Valley HS '14) went the first 5-1/3 innings and allowed the three runs (all earned) on six hits with zero walks and four strikeouts to improve to 5-0.

Miller went two for five with two runs scored, Gonzalez -- who is pictured -- went two for three with one run scored and the three RBI and Mota went one for four with one run and three RBI (one on a fielder's choice in the sixth).

For MSAC, freshman 1B/LF Jacob Castillo socked a two-run double to left-center field in the fourth frame and went two for four to pace the Mounties. MSAC starting freshman RHP Christian Longoria went the first 4-1/3 innings and allowed six runs (earned) on seven hits and two walks, but struck out seven. With the loss, his record fell to 1-3.

Both teams return to action on Thursday, Feb. 23, when MSAC hosts the Cerritos College Falcons in the first game of a two-game South Coast Conference crossover series. RCC will visit the College of the Desert Roadrunners in a non-conference game beginning at 2 p.m.

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