Offensive Shootout Ends with Riverside on Top

It was a battle of top Orange Empire Conference (OEC) teams as the Riverside City College baseball team traveled to take on the Cypress College Chargers in the first game of a three-game series. Late game offense was on display on both sides, but it was Riverside who outlasted the Chargers leading to a 12-8 victory.

The first three innings saw no offensive momentum as sophomore hurler Hayden Coon took to the rubber for the start. He dominated in the beginning of his outing by retiring the first eight batters he faced. He struck out three in that span with two coming in the first inning.

The Tigers scored first by putting up a two spot in the top of the fourth inning. Sophomore duo Adrian Arechiga and Matthew Bardowell led the frame off with consecutive singles to set up an RBI opportunity for freshman designated hitter Dominic Dominguez. He came through with a single to single to score Arechiga. Sophomore shortstop Sebastian Flores followed with the second RBI single of the inning to send home Bardowell and claim a 2-0 led.

Cypress responded with a three spot in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Tigers replied with four more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Dominguez flexed in his second at bat of the game by launching a two-run blast to get things going. Freshman catcher Anthony Gibbons connected for a two-RBI single three batters later to score freshman infielders Robert Phelps and Jerrad Gonzalez.

The Chargers continued to remain pesky and scored five more runs in the ensuing two innings, but six more runs on Riverside's end was the final nail in the coffin.

Sophomore first baseman Bryce Cermenelli led off the top of the seventh inning with a triple and came around to score on an erro by the Chargers' shortstop. Bardowell followed with an RBI single to center field, allowing Arechiga to come around and score after reaching on the error.

Gonzalez touched home the next inning on a wild pitch to continued to offensive flow. Arechiga capped the eighth inning with a two RBI single, plating Bardowell and Dominguez. Gibbons capped the scoring in the top of the ninth inning with a single, scoring Flores.

Sophomore reliever Christopher Fields was downright filthy in 2.1 innings of relief. He did not allow a single hit and struck out the side in the eighth inning leading to a 12-8 win.

Fields earned the win on the mound. Coon went 5.1 innigns and allowed four earned runs while striking out five.

Offensively, every player who recorded a hit barreled at least two base knocks. Dominguez went 3-for-5 with a two-run homerun, three RBI and a run scored. Gibbons knocked in three runs on a 2-for-4 day.