RCC Sweeps SAC in OEC Play

No. 13-ranked Riverside City College closed out the regular season with a bang, dropping No. 10-ranked Santa Ana College 15-6 Friday afternoon.

The Tigers improve to 28-12 on the year and 15-6 in the Orange Empire Conference, while the Dons drop to 25-15 overall, 12-9 in conference.

RCC finished with 16 hits, with Parker Sobiesiak (3-for-6), Alex Gamez (3-for-5) and Marcus Moyer (2-for-3) all having multiple hits on the day. Bubba Heidler (1-for-3), Eddie Alfaro (1-for-3), Marc DiCarlo Jr. (1-for-2), Dylan Nelson (1-for-1), Daniel Rivera (1-for-4), Darin Osterloh (1-for-5), Riki Kubota (1-for-1) and Jake Monsen (1-for-1) also had hits.

Riverside wasted little time and scored in its first chance at the plate as Heidler came home on a Sobiesiak double.

SAC answered back, but RCC took back its lead in the top of the second and tacked on some insurance in the third. Osterloh scored on a sacrifice fly in the second. In the third, Sobiesiak knocked another double to score two runners before coming home on a sacrifice fly.

After the Dons pulled within four, 8-4, in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers all but sealed the victory in the top of the eighth.

With one out and two runners on, DiCarlo Jr. drilled a base hit up the middle to send both runners in. Santa Ana threatened to end the inning with another out, but Gamez blasted a three-run home run to put the Tigers up 13-4.

RCC went on to win the game 15-6, securing the series sweep in the process.

Jake Valenzuela picked up his sixth win on the mound for the Tigers, finishing undefeated in OEC action.

Riverside will find out who it will face for the first round of the 3C2A SoCal Regional on Sunday, with the regional set to begin May 2.