Riverside Launches Three Homers in Series-Opening Win against OCC

The Riverside City College baseball team has plated 10 or more runs in three of their last four games. More importantly, the Tigers have won the last four, three-game series and were on the hunt for their fifth-straight against the Orange Coast College Pirates. The Tigers remained hot at the dish as they pounded out 15 hits that lead to an 11-4 win.

Riverside wasted no time on the offensive front by driving in three runs in the top of the first inning. Freshman third baseman and CSU Fullerton commit Ignacio Alvarez got things going early with an RBI double to left field, plating freshman center fielder Julian Alvarez. Freshman right fielder Matthew Bardowell followed with a two-RBI double to left center a batter later to score freshman catcher Maxwell Shor and I. Alvarez leading to a 3-0 advantage.

Freshman right hander Giancarlo Flores had to wait a good amount of time to take to the mound, but the long top half of the first did not faze him. He wiggled out of a mini jam in the bottom of the first inning capped by a strikeout. He followed the next frame by stranding two runners on and forced a ground out to preserve the three-run lead.

The Tigers followed by scoring a run in four-consecutive innings beginning with a solo bomb to center field off the bat of I. Alvarez in the top of the third inning. Shor got in on the action the following inning with a RBI single to right field, backed by Bardowell swiping home on a double steal in the top of the fifth inning. Bowers, who stole second base allowing Bardowell to come home, capped the extended rally in the sixth inning with a single to left field, thus handing Riverside a 7-2 lead.

OCC trimmed the Tigers' lead to 7-3 after seven innings, but a pair of two-run jacks put the final nail in the Pirates' coffin. Bowers sparked the power trend by launching a round tripper to dead center, while freshman second baseman Darius Price followed two batters later with a moonshot over the left field wall leading to the 11-4 win.

Freshman reliever Luis Sakemi Sato (1-0) earned the victory on the mound after reliving Flores with two outs in the fourth inning. Flores tossed 4.2 innings and fanned two batter. Sophomore southpaw Ryan Hernandez led the staff with three strikeouts in the final two innings of work.

I. Alvarez had a monster day by going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a homerun two RBI, four runs scored. Bardowell matched his 3-for-5 outing with a double, while Shot barreled two base knocks.