Tigers Take Early Series Lead Over Panthers
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 1 |
|
Chaffey | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 1 |
Riverside City College set the tone Friday with a 12-8 victory over Chaffey College to open the best-of-three SoCal Regional series on a strong foot.
The Tigers scored in all but two innings to improve to 26-15 overall, while the Panthers slip to 27-14 on the year.
RCC finished with 20 hits in the game, with Alex Gamez leading the charge with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate. He scored four runs and batted in two, while also drawing a walk.
It was back-and-forth action for the first two innings before RCC took control of the game in the top of the third. Eddie Alfaro led off with a base hit before making his way to second after a pitch got past the Chaffey catcher. Gamez traded places with him, before coming home on an Arturo Rodriguez double. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs but weren't done yet as Gage Gonzales knocked a two-RBI single to up Riverside's lead to 5-3.
The Tigers tacked on two more runs in the fourth off an Ian Nguyen double and created some distance in the top of the ninth to hold a 12-6 lead heading into the final half-inning.
Chaffey managed to plate two runs in the ninth, but Matt Hudson struck out the final two batters to secure the victory for Riverside.
Alex Navarrete picked up the win on the mound for RCC, tossing four strikeouts in the game.
The Tigers look to build on momentum as they take on the Panthers once again on Saturday at noon, looking to advance in the regional. If Chaffey wins, a third game will be played approximately 30 minutes after the first game concludes.