Huntington Beach, CA – The Golden West College Rustlers delivered a commanding 14-4 victory over the visiting Bakersfield College Renegades, powered by an explosive offensive performance and strong pitching.
Golden West wasted no time taking control of the game, putting up five runs in the first inning. The scoring started with Roman Meyers' RBI single down the right-field line, bringing home Jonny Rodriguez. Bryan Martinez followed with a sacrifice fly to score Dennis Fitzpatrick, and Kevin Villegas capped off the inning with a bases-clearing single to extend the lead to 5-0.
The Rustlers continued to pile on runs, adding another in the second on a Meyers RBI double. After Bakersfield got on the board in the third with a Ben Ullyott RBI double, Golden West responded with three more runs in the bottom half. Kevin Villegas remained a key contributor, reaching base on an error while driving in another run, followed by Zack Burrow's RBI single and Cole Belfanti's RBI double to push the lead to 9-1.
Golden West kept the pressure on in the fourth inning with a two-run single from Villegas and an RBI single by Martinez, making it 12-1. Bakersfield attempted to rally, scoring in the fifth on an RBI groundout and adding two more in the sixth behind a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. However, the Rustlers' bullpen shut them down the rest of the way.
The Rustlers put the game out of reach in the eighth when Belfanti crushed a two-run double, extending the lead to 14-4.
On the mound, starter JJ Robles was dominant, striking out nine over five innings while allowing just two runs to earn the win. The bullpen trio of Murphy Loncharich, Braden Wellen, Dylan Leoff, and David Ladjevic combined for four innings of one-run ball, securing the win.
Golden West's offense was relentless, racking up 17 hits. Villegas led the way with a stellar five-RBI performance, while Belfanti drove in three runs. Meyers, Martinez, and Burrow also had multi-hit games.
With the victory, Golden West improves to 9-6 on the season, while Bakersfield falls to 7-5.
