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By Peter Gibbs
From the first batter of the game, pitching for the Riverside City College’s baseball team struggled against Fullerton College.
Freshman Dakota Gray got the start for the Tigers but his performance started by giving up a hit to the leadoff hitter of the Hornets. The rest of the inning saw Gray fail to hit his target consistently, allowing a run to score off a wild pitch.
“In the bullpen, the fastball command was not normal,” Gray said. “I thought it was manageable. Once I got on the mound, it was hard to get the ball over (the plate).”
After loading the bases in the third inning, Riverside ended Gray’s day early. However, reliever Charlie McBride instantly gave up three runs. He hit the first batter he saw, was part of an error on a throw to home plate and allowed another run to come in after a wild pitch.
The game was never close after that.
Overall, the bullpen was unable to stop the bleeding. RCC used eight different pitchers and gave up 12 runs, with four of those coming from either a wild pitch or hit batter with the bases loaded.
“I saw a lot of passiveness, a lot of tentativeness and a lot of uncertainty,” Riverside head coach Rudy Arguelles said. “It’s going to be tough to find any kind of success and consistency.”
The Riverside offense didn’t do much to fight back either.
Situational hitting was a weak point for the Tigers, with the team going 1-8 when it had runners in scoring position.
“The approach isn’t a team one. Each individual has to understand who they are,” Arguelles said. “Stick to your strengths. I’m looking for a quality at-bat.”
The only momentum the offense could muster came in the third when sophomore left fielder Adrian Arechiga singled in the sole run. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the rally came with two outs and Fullerton quickly finished the inning without any other damage.
RCC mustered only six hits, mostly due to Hornets starting pitcher Freddy Castaneda settling into a rhythm by getting fast outs in the beginning of the game.
“Early in the game we were being aggressive, trying to hit pitches,” sophomore right fielder Matthew Bardowell said. “Towards the end there were some long innings, so we tried to give our guys some rest by seeing more pitches.”
Bardowell led the team with three walks, all coming with nobody on base. It was a sign that Fullerton did not want to let him do any damage after having five hits earlier in the week.
Fortunately for the Tigers, this was the first series loss of conference play. The team is confident that it can succeed in the playoffs if it grows from the loss.
“This is not the time of year that you want to have a slide,” Arguelles said. “Every championship club has those moments. Those clubs have the ability to get out of it quickly and don’t prolong it.”
Riverside will begin the final regular season series against Saddleback College on April 25.
