Strong Pitching, Timely Offense Stifles LA Mission in Series Sweep

It was a low scoring affair at Evan Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon as the Riverside City College baseball team hosted the LA Mission College Eagles to wrap up a two-game series. Riverside leaned on dominant pitching and a four run second inning to a 4-1 victory.

Freshman hurler David Butler toed the slab in his first career start and did so effectively and efficiently. He faced 25 hitters and allowed just four hits and one walk. After he allowed a hit on the first batter he faced, he retired the following 10 batters until the Eagles reach via error in the top of the fourth with two outs. He then continued on to retire the ensuing six hitters.

Riverside scored all of their runs in the second inning. Freshman catcher Maxwell Shor and freshman first baseman Daniel Garcia led the inning off with consecutive singles. Both came around to score on an errant throw forced by an attempted sacrifice bunt from freshman designated hitter Bret Bowers.

Freshman shortstop Sebastian Flores continued the innig by sending Bowers home on an RBI single to right field. He later came around to score on a two out RBI double from freshman center fielder Nathan Aldaz, giving the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

From then on, the Tigers were in the driver's seat. Freshman reliever Chaz McWilliams entered in the top of the eighth inning and face a ninth inning jam, but wiggled out of it by forcing a game ending fly out to center field.

Butler (1-0) earned the win by striking out five and allowing just four hits. McWilliams earned his first-career save in two innings of work.

The Tigers barreled just six hits with the middle of the order doing the majority of the damage. Aldaz highlighted the efforts with a double and one RBI.