Golden West Edges Riverside City, 3-1, Tuesday

RIVERSIDE – Scoring single runs in the first, third and ninth innings, the Golden West College (GWC) Rustlers went on to post a 3-1 Orange Empire Conference (OEC) victory over the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's baseball team Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 5) at the Evans Sports Complex.

For the most part, it was "The Philip Knapp and Cody Marshall Show" as Knapp – a sophomore CF from Huntington Beach – was hit by a pitch (on the second pitch of the game), sacrificed to second base and scored on a two-out RBI single to left-center field by Marshall, a sophomore 1B from Long Beach.

In the third, Knapp reached first base on an infield fielding error and advanced to second base when RCC starting sophomore RHP Angel Delgado (Beaumont / Beaumont HS '13) threw wildly to first base on a failed pickoff attempt. After being sacrificed to third base, Knapp scored on a sacrifice fly to left-center field off the bat of Marshall and Golden West (16-9 overall, 5-5 OEC) led, 2-0.

The Rustlers added a run in the ninth when Knapp stroked a two-out RBI single to right field. Knapp went one for four with the two runs scored and one RBI. Marshall went two for two with a sacrifice fly, a walk and two RBI.

GWC sophomore starting RHP Brett Mays (Anaheim) went 8-1/3 innings and was in complete control until his 100^th pitch (69^th strike) was rifled back to him off the bat of RCC sophomore RF Garrison Cole (Palm Desert / Xavier Prep. HS '13). The line drive struck him on the head and ricocheted into short left field and Cole was credited with a double.

Mays left under his own power. He allowed the one run (earned) on six hits and one walk and struck out six to improve to 4-0. Sophomore RHP Joshua Gogue (Anaheim) notched the final two outs for his fourth save. Delgado went the first 7.0 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks. Delgado struck out eight, but threw 117 pitches (75 strikes) as his record fell to 5-2.

Cole led Riverside City (15-10 overall, 3-7 OEC) by going two for four with the one run scored. Freshman Ryan Mota (Fontana / Kaiser HS '14) came into the game as a pinch hitter and singled, and then recorded the final two outs in the top of the ninth, and then singled to drive in Cole, went two for two.

Both teams return to OEC action on Thursday, April 7, at 2 p.m. when RCC visits GWC.

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