Posted: Apr 25, 2013
With Second Place Clinched, Tigers Lose, 3-1, at Home to Saddleback
Saddleback
(25-11, 12-9)
3
Riverside
(24-12, 13-8)
1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
|
Riverside | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
RIVERSIDE – In the regular season finale for both teams, the Saddleback College Gauchos came from behind to shade the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers men's baseball team, 3-1, in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) game Thursday evening at the Evans Sports Complex.
The win by Saddleback (25-11, 12-9 OEC) secured third place in the final conference standings, one game behind second-place Riverside (24-12, 13-8 OEC). The Fullerton College Hornets won first place with a 15-6 OEC ledger (25-11 overall.)
Riverside took a 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore 2B Brandon Van Horn (La Canada Flintridge / St. Francis HS) reached third base when his line drive was misplayed by freshman LF Slate Miller (Kelso, WA) for a three-base error. After a strikeout, freshman RF Joshua Clark (Los Angeles / Hillcrest Christian HS) tripled into the right-field corner to drive in Van Horn with the unearned run.
In the fourth, the Gauchos tied the game at 1-1 when freshman RF Brandon Cody (Tesoro HS) drove the first pitch of the inning for a solo homerun, his eighth round tripper of the season. Saddleback then sandwiched three well-placed doubles around an infield error for a pair of runs and a 3-1 lead.
And that was all that Saddleback ace, starting sophomore LHP Evan Manarino (Santa Margarita HS), needed as he retired the next 11 Tigers, 14 of the next 15, and 17 of the next 19, including a game-ending double play. Manarino went the distance for his fourth complete game and improved to 9-1. He allowed four hits, walked zero and struck out six. He lowered his earned run average (ERA) from 1.61 to 1.46.
Riverside starting sophomore RHP Blake Burrell (Moreno Valley / Canyon Springs HS) went the first eight innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and zero walks. He struck out seven and saw his OEC-leading ERA rise from 1.04 to 1.20. Burrell is 4-2 on the season.
One can wonder if either team had any plans for later in the evening as neither team's pitching staff issued a base on balls, thus, the game time was a speedy 1:44, the shortest game (by time) RCC has played this season (by four minutes) and its third sub-two-minute game this season. In 36 games this season, RCC has played 25 of them in 2-1/2 hours or less.
Saddleback sophomore catcher Kyle Ferret (Santiago HS), who socked two doubles in four at bats and scored a run, and freshman CF Trevor Sealey (San Clemente HS), who went two for four with a RBI, led the Gauchos. RCC sophomore 3B Ricardo Rodriguez (Moreno Valley / Canyon Springs HS) had two hits to lead the Tigers.
Both teams now wait for the telephone call this weekend for a berth in the Southern California Regional Playoffs. The first-round, best-two-of-three series, is scheduled to begin on Friday, May 3.As many as five OEC teams could receive a playoff berth.