Cougars Pick Up First Conference Win 10-5 Over Citrus

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director  

College of the Canyons claimed its first conference win in a 10-5 affair over Citrus College at Mike Gillespie Field on Tuesday.

Canyons (5-13, 1-3) snapped its three-game losing streak under soggy conditions in a game that was moved to a 1 p.m. start time, then shifted to 1:15 p.m., due to the threat of inclement weather. The Cougars are now 3-3 across their last six outings.

COC wasted little time in jumping out to a 5-1 lead after the first frame. Evan Jaquez got Canyons on the board with an RBI double before Andrew Sherrell's grand slam cleared the bases and put the Cougars in clear control at 5-1.

Hunter Essang lifted off on his own long ball in the second inning with a solo shot. The Cougars then combined for three more runs in the inning, scoring a pair of runs on Owls' wild pitches and seeing Jose Mariano bring one home on an RBI groundout.

That outburst proved to be plenty of support for COC starter Kyler Freude who earned the win with his five innings of work. Freude (1-2) allowed four runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Wesley Yim pitched an inning of relief, allowing a lone run, with two strikeouts before handing the ball to Chad Stanchfield, who pitched three scoreless innings to close things out. Stanchfield issued a pair of walks alongside three strikeouts.

Citrus (8-11, 3-1) briefly got back into the game with a three-run home run off the bat of Jordan Quintero in the fifth inning to put the score at 9-4. Quintero stayed active in the sixth with an RBI single that represented the final run for the Owls.

Jaquez scored again in the eighth on another Citrus wild pitch for the 10-5 final score.

Top Performers

• Hunter Essang — 1-for-3, BB, HR, R, RBI
• Kyler Freude — W (1-2), 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 5 K
• Evan Jaquez — 2-for-4, BB, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI
• Jose Mariano — 1-for-3, 2 BB, R, RBI
• Andrew Sherrell — 1-for-3, 2 BB, HR, R, 4 RBI
• Chad Stanchfield — 3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Upcoming Schedule

Canyons will continue its three-game set vs. Citrus on Thursday, March 13, in Glendora, weather permitting. That game is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch.

The series concludes Friday, March 14, back at Mike Gillespie Field for another 2 p.m. start.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.   

—Photo by Valery Diaz/COC Sports Information