Saddleback Edges Riverside, 5-4, Saturday; Tigers Host Santa Ana Tuesday

RIVERSIDE – Going from ahead to lose, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team dropped a 5-4 decision to the visiting Saddleback College Gauchos in the finale of a three-game Orange Empire Conference (OEC) series Saturday afternoon (Apr. 22) at Samuel C. Evans Park.

Saddleback (24-13 overall, 10-8 OEC) fought back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-2, before pushing across single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings. The Gauchos broke a 4-4 tie when freshman LF Adam Gordon socked a RBI double to right-center field which chased home freshman 1B Zack Bowman, who singled to open the frame.

Riverside City (27-10 overall, 13-5 OEC) led, 3-0, after two innings. Sophomore DH/RHP Ryan Mota (Fontana – Kaiser HS '14) had a RBI single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth, which made the score 4-2 inj favor of RCC.

RCC sophomore RHP Daniel Agramont (Eastvale - Eleanor Roosevelt HS '15) entered the game in the top of the sixth and allowed the tying run in the sixth, as well as the Gauchos' go-ahead score in the top of the eighth. He went 2-1/3 innings and allowed two runs (earned) on three hits with one walk and one strikeout as his record dipped to 4-1. Mota came on to pitch with one runner on in the top of the ninth.

Sophomore RF Dean Miller (Riverside – Ramona HS '15) -- who is pictured -- went three for four to pace the Tigers.

Saddleback freshman RHP Connor Sealey entered the game in the bottom of the fourth and allowed only one hit (no runs) and one walk with one strikeout in 3-2/3 innings to notch the win and improve to 2-1. FReshman RHP Bradley Spooner pitched the last two innings to record his eighth save.

Freshman catcher Erik Voller went three for four, including a two-run double in the fourth to aid the comeback.

Next, Riverside will conclude the OEC portion of its schedule when it opens a three-game series at home with the Santa Ana College Dons on Tuesday, Apr. 25. First pitch is at 2 p.m. (PDT).

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