Freshman third baseman Devean Alvarez applies a tag in the eighth inning. The Tigers lost the second game of the doubleheader on April 6. (Photos by Mathew Acosta | Viewpoints) 
Sophomore outfielder Casey Murray Jr. scores after an errant throw by Santa Barbara City College on April 6. 
A Riverside batter swings at a ball. The Tigers only had four hits during the second game against Santa Barbara City College on April 6.
By Dalila Romero
Trouble with keeping offensive momentum and pitching issues caused a split of the doubleheader.
The Riverside City College baseball team had fallen short in the second half of its doubleheader against Santa Barbara City College on April 6 at the Samuel C. Evans Complex.
In the first matchup of the evening, the Tigers were victorious over the Vaqueros 12-5.
“The first game we were able to get a lot of people in,” sophomore center fielder Casey Murray Jr. said. “Our whole team did well in the first game.”
Riverside started the first game with seven runs in the first two innings, never looking back. The pitching helped maintain the lead by only allowing seven hits throughout the full nine innings.
The Vaqueros were able to switch gears going into the second match up of the evening totalling five runs in the first two innings.
“(Santa Barbara) came out and played well right from the get-go,” RCC head coach Rudy Arguelles said. “(They) were able to sustain that to the very end whereas ours kind of relaxed a little bit and lost a bit of focus. (We) could not get back engaged to compete, so hopefully they can learn from that.”
The Tigers had five separate pitchers enter the game throughout the matchup. They combined for 11 strikeouts but gave up seven runs.
“(We) could not execute situationally and from a pitching standpoint,” Argulles said. “We didn’t compete in the zone today.”
The Tigers were put into an early deficit that they were unable to come back from due to the early scoring from Santa Barbara.
“I had noticed we had a lot less energy going into the second game knowing that we had already beat them once in the first game,” Murray Jr. said. “I think we went into the second game a little less energized.”
The Tigers struggled with situational hitting which kept them from getting back into the game. Throughout the match up, they left six runners on base in scoring positions.
“We need to compete,” sophomore outfielder Adrian Arechiga said. “If we can do that I think no team can touch us.”
He said the team would need to improve the at bats and the pitching.
Riverside has a small break until their next match up, giving them time to regroup and create a game plan to return to the winning column.
RCC plays against Santa Ana College on April 11. They will travel there for the first of a three game series.
