Freshman Outfielder Alex Gamez readying to hit the ball during a game against Citrus College the Riverside City College Evans Sports Complex on March 1. Photo by Jesus Coronel.
By: Aliah Tubbs
The Riverside City College Tigers beat the Citrus College Owls 7-1 to extend their record to 14-4 on the season before conference play kicks off at the Evans Sports Complex on March 1.
The Tigers baseball team is currently finding its groove as the team is firing on all cylinders both on offense and defense.
“It’s really one game at a time,” head coach Rudy Arguelles said. “It is the last game of what we refer to as season one and gets us ready for season two which is conference next week, so we’re excited about that.”
After the Owls scored on an RBI Single in the first inning, it looked as if the Tigers would be on a shaky start at the beginning of the game, as a fielding error allowed Citrus to get momentum early on.
In the second inning, freshman catcher Dane Lujan would score off a sacrifice fly from freshman fielder Ian Nguyen, evening the game at one run a piece.
Lujan and Nguyen would be key contributors as they combined for three RBIs and three runs each in this game, en route to a strong win for RCC.
“It definitely lights a little fire under us,” Lujan said. “It was a pretty good team win overall.”
The Tiger offense added two more runs to the score in the fourth inning via a sacrifice fly from freshman Marcus Mayer and an RBI single from Nguyen respectively to increase the lead to 3-1.
Pitching was another strong point for RCC, as after allowing a run in the first inning, starting sophomore pitcher Julian Cazares recorded four strikeouts and held Citrus College to two hits total during his stint.
Redshirt freshman relief pitcher Alex Navarette and sophomore closer Dylan Plunter allowed two hits combined in Cazares’s relief from the fifth inning onward.
“We gave them an unearned run after that first inning and we were able to bounce back and really take control of the game,” Coach Arguelles said.
As three more runs scored for the Tigers in a two inning stretch, they had complete control of the game as they would finish the game with a 7-1 victory.
They have won six of the last seven games and look to start conference play strong.
