Riverside Tops Santa Ana, 8-4, Tuesday; Tuthill Improves to 10-1

RIVERSIDE – Exploding for four runs in the bottom of the first, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers baseball team cruised to an 8-4 home victory over the Santa Ana College (SAC) Dons in the opener of a three-game Orange Empire Conference (OEC) series at Samuel C. Evans Park Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 25).

Riverside City (28-10 overall, 14-5 OEC) added single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, while Santa Ana (25-13 overall, 9-10 OEC) scored in the third and fourth, and added a pair of runs in the eighth.

RCC sophomore starting LHP Blake Tuthill (Redlands – Redlands East Valley HS '14) admittedly didn't have his best stuff, but he lasted the first 6.0 innings and allowed two runs (both earned) on six hits and three walks, and struck out four to improve to 10-1. A trio of Tigers relievers pitched 1.0 inning each to close the game.

Red-shirt sophomore SS Peter McEvoy (Colorado Springs, CO / Pine Creek HS '15) capped the four-run first with a two-run single through the left side to give RCC a 4-0 lead.

Sophomore CF Dean Miller (Riverside – Ramona HS '15) socked his fourth home run on the season on the first pitch he saw with one out in the second to give RCC a 5-0 lead. In the third, freshman RF Patrick Vizcaino (Chino – Don Lugo HS) -- who is pictured -- led off the frame when he drilled a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for his fourth round tripper of the season and the Tigers led, 6-1.

In the fifth, freshman catcher Peter Gomez – who went four for four in the game – drilled a RBI double down the left-field line to give RCC an 8-2 lead.

Santa Ana (25-13 overall, 9-10 OEC) added a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to cap the scoring. SAC sophomore DH Julio Rivera went two for four with one RBI to pace the Dons. Freshman starting RHP Nigel Ward struggled through 5.0 innings and allowed all eight runs (earned) on 11 hits and one walk with four strikeouts as his record fell to 7-4.

Next, both teams will continue on to the middle game of the three-game OEC series on Thursday, Apr. 27, when RCC visits Santa Ana. First pitch is at 2 p.m. (PDT).

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