Riverside Out-Duels Cuesta in Low-Scoring Affair

A pitcher's duel unfolded  on Friday night as the Riverside City College Tigers hosted the Cuesta College Cougars in game two of a three-game series. In a low scoring affair that saw a simmered offense on both sides, it was the Tiger's pitching staff the held down the fort leading to a 2-1 victory.

Riverside scratched across two runs in the game coming in the bottom of the third inning and the bottom of the eighth inning. The first run was gifted to the Tigers as sophomore catcher Steve Ramirez scored on an errant throw by the Cougars third baseman.

The Tiger's eighth-inning run was fundamental baseball at its finest. Freshman right fielder Matthew Darr led off the inning with a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield for a single. He promptly advanced to second on a wild pitch and then trotted to third on a pristine sacrifice bunt from freshman left fielder Disani Mukasa-Wilson. Freshman third baseman Gabino Gutierrez followed with a sacrifice fly to deep left field, plating Darr with ease. The play aided a 2-1 Riverside win.

The true story was strong pitching that began with sophomore starter Drew D'Ambra. He climbed the bump for the second time this season and his first start of the year. He was highly effective by allowing just one run on one hit and four strikeouts.

Freshman southpaw Jon Mocherman tossed a breezy sixth inning, but the Cougars came back the next inning and tied the game up after sophomore Jacob Billiu struggled to find the zone.

Nevertheless, sophomore hurler Matthew Henry came to the rescue by chucking three innings of scoreless baseball leading to his second win of the season.

Ramirez and Darr each barreled two hits, while sophomore second baseman Alex Moreno and freshman first baseman Gabe Briones were responsible for a knock each.

Riverside (3-0) will look to sweep the series from Cuesta with tomorrow at 12 p.m.