RCC Comes Up Just Short In First Game of Regionals
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
San Diego Mesa | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 2 |
|
#8 Riverside | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 2 |
Written by Eric Pacheco, sports information intern
No. 8-ranked Riverside City College battled until the end in a 10-9 loss to San Diego Mesa College on Friday in the Tigers' 3C2A SoCal Regional opener.
The Tigers drop to 29-12 on the year, while the Olympians improve to 20-22 overall and keep their season going after dropping the first game of the day to Santa Barbara City College.
Jake Valenzuela overcame a four-run second inning put up by the Olympians and dealt seven strong innings, striking out three to keep RCC in the game.
Gavin Egan (2-for-6), Grant Gray (2-for-5), Bubba Heidler (2-for-5), and Luke Medure (2-for-4) led the way offensively for the Tigers, tallying multi-hit games.
A two-run home run by Noah Haros (1-for-3) got the Tigers on the board in the bottom of the first, and the offense stayed steady all game long, striking for two runs in the first, second, third, and sixth innings to put Riverside up 9-4 heading into the final inning of action.
Desperate for runs to keep their season alive, the Olympians managed to plate six runs in the ninth to take the lead and held on defensively to grab the 10-9 win.
The Tigers look to bounce back tomorrow and keep their season alive as they face Santa Barbara at 11 a.m. on the second day of the double-elimination tournament.