Tigers Get Hot in Upset Mercy Win

Riverside City College brought the heat Thursday afternoon, grabbing a 14-6, five-inning victory over No. 15-ranked Saddleback College.

The Tigers improve to 7-19 overall and 2-7 in the Orange Empire Conference, while the Bobcats slip to 18-9 on the year and 6-2 in conference.

RCC out-hit Saddleback 13-to-9, including three home runs. Giselle Flores Morales led the Tigers with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, including one of the long balls. Karly Romero (2-for-4) and Alysha Kendrick (2-for-3) also had home runs in the game.

Saddleback scored first, but Riverside answered back with back-to-back homers from Kendrick (two runs) and Flores Morales, 3-1.

The Bobcats managed to tie things up in the second, but the Tigers caught fire in the bottom half of the inning to score six runs. With two outs and bases loaded, Madyson Aguilera drilled a bases-clearing double on the first pitch.

Flores Morales drove in another runner with a single to center field before Ryli Wilson sent two runners home before the Bobcats could get out of the inning.

After Saddleback tried to claw its way back into the game with three runs in the third, RCC scored two more runs in the third and fourth before ending the game early in the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, needing just one run to put the run rule in play, Aguilera came home to score that run off a Flores Morales double, 14-6.

The Tigers and Bobcats conclude the catfight series on Friday, back at Saddleback at 2 p.m.