Posted: Feb 16, 2013
Wildcats Pound out 17 Hits, Came Back Twice to Win and Take Series
Western Nevada
(12-4)
6
Riverside
(6-3)
5
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Western Nevada | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 1 |
|
Riverside | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
Western Nevada College Wildcats 6, at Riverside City College Tigers 5 (nonconference)
Western Nevada (12-4) broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run uprising in the top of the seventh inning. Freshman SS Tyler Baker (Las Vegas, NV / Bishop Gorman HS) opened the inning with a walk (on four pitches). After a pitching change, Baker went to second on a passed ball and scored on a RBI infield single (to deep second base) by freshman RF Alex Fife (Draper, UT / Jordan HS) for a 5-4 lead. After a sacrifice bunt, freshman LF Matt Becker (Puyallup, WA / Puyallup HS) drilled a 1-1 pitch to left-center field for a RBI double and a 6-4 lead.
Becker and sophomore CF Donald Glover (Las Vegas, NV / Legacy HS) each had three hits to pace the Wildcats. For Riverside (6-3), sophomore RF Cody Stewart (Temecula / Great Oak HS / UC Riverside) went three for three with one RBI and a stolen base to pace the Tigers.
The Tigers scored in the second, fifth and eighth innings. RCC drew first blood with a pair of runs in the second. Freshman LF Bryan Saucedo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) walked after Stewart had singled to open the stanza. After Stewart was out at third caught stealing, Saucedo advanced to third on a ground out and came home on a two-out RBI single by sophomore 2B Brandon Van Horn (La Canada / St. Francis HS). Van Horn scored with a line drive to left-center field was dropped by Glover for a two-base error and the Tigers led, 2-0.
A pair of plays at the plate kept the game close, but not tied.
In the eighth, RCC nearly tied the game at 6-6 when Van Horn tried to score on a would-be wild pitch and was out at the plate with WNC freshman LHP Christian Stolo (Reno, NV / McQueen HS) applying the tag. In the top of the ninth, freshman 2B Jack Hall was tagged out at the plate on a solid throw by freshman CF K.C. Huth (La Verne / Bonita HS) after Glover had singled to center.
WNC freshman RHP Cody Hamlin (Boise, ID / Timberline HS), the third of five pitchers for the victors, earned the win (2-0). He pitched 3.0 innings and allowed one run (earned) on zero hits. The Wildcats' closer, freshman RHP Luke Eubank (Newbury Park / Newbury Park HS), the only California native on the WNC roster, pitched the ninth and induced a game-ending double play to record his sixth save. RCC sophomore LHP Chad Diffine (Chino / Chino Hills HS) pitched one-inning plus, allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits and picked up his first loss (0-1) of the season.
In its next action, Riverside will visit the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties on Tuesday, Feb. 19, fora 6 p.m. game at Art Mazmanian Field. Western Nevada is on its way home, but its next action will be on Friday, Feb. 22, when it faces Colorado Northwestern College (at 2 p.m.) and Salt Lake (UT) CC at 6 p.m. in Henderson, NV.