Photo by Bobby R. Hester
Photo by Bobby R. Hester

All Systems Go for No. 9 Baseball

To put it simply, the baseball team has been on cruise control.

Riverside entered tonight on a five-game winning streak having scored eight or more runs in the past four games and only allowing a mere three runs on 12 hits. The Grossmont College Griffins were the Tigers' latest victim by the final score of 12-3.

Everything was working for the Tigers as they barreled a season-high 19 hits and 12 runs. Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit with five of them notching multi-hit games.

Leading the charge was freshman third baseman Ignacio Alvarez. After going 1-for-13 in the last four games, the freshman slugger broke out with a 4-for-5 day. He was a round tripper away from the cycle leading to two RBI and three runs scored.

His triple put the Tigers up 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning as he scored on an errant throw from the Griffith's shortstop. Freshman first baseman Daniel Garcia scored on the three bagger as well.

Freshman left fielder Brian West reached all four times as he went 2-for-2 with a double and two walks. He scored twice in the game and recorded an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning that plated freshman right fielder Mathew Bardowell.

Freshman center fielder Julian Alvarez and freshman catcher Maxwell Shor each notched two-hits and recorded two RBI. Alvarez sent a double to center field, plating freshman shortstop Sebastian Flores and West, in the bottom of the second inning. Shor also recorded a two-RBI single three innings later, scoring I. Alvarez and freshman second baseman Beau Betten.

While offense jumps out on the box score, it was the pitching that was lights out. Freshman starter Giancarlo Flores (3-0) was nearly unhittable in his third outing of the season. He tossed five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and fanning six batters in under 75 pitches.

Freshman Philip Ledesma was tagged for the three runs, but freshman relief duo Rheego McIntosh and Jordan Townly handled the final three frames as they held Grossmont to a combined one hit and struck out one batter each.

Riverside (6-1) will complete a two-game series against Grossmont tomorrow on the road at 2 p.m.