TAFT, CA – Taft College Baseball played last Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, against Fresno City College Rams for games 2 and 3 of the series.
Fresno got things started in game 1 in the second inning scoring 1 run. Taft responded in the third with a bases-loaded walk that allowed Esparza to score, tying the game 1-1. The momentum shifted in the fourth and fifth innings as Fresno took control, scoring 4 runs.
Taft attempted to rally in the eighth and ninth innings. The Cougars made a massive rally and got the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning after being down 13-2 going into the 8th inning.
Rhett Hodgins' RBI single brought in 2 runs for the Cougars. A fielder's choice and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch added two more runs, cutting into Fresno City's lead 13-6. The ninth inning saw Taft mount a dramatic push. Eian Peralt delivered a clutch two-run double, and Jerameel Briscueno followed with an RBI single. Odnal Rivera capped it by putting a ball in play, securing another run.
Taft would fall short, almost coming back from the grave but losing to Fresno 13-10.
In game 2, Taft took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning when Ty Moore singled to bring home Eian Peralta on an unearned run. Fresno responded in the fifth, taking control with a sacrifice fly and adding on 3 more making it 4-1. Taft fought back in the fifth with a solo home run from Odnal Rivera, and in the sixth, Ty Moore's groundout brought in another unearned run, making it 4-3.
Fresno widened the gap in the seventh bringing in two more runs. Taft answered with a solo home run from Roman Roberts in the 8th. Fresno linked together a couple of hits pushing the lead to 8-4. The Cougars offence stopped there, and the game was sealed in the 9th with Fresno scoring 2 more runs and Taft losing 10-4.