A red-hot offense and stellar start from a true freshman lefty led the Tigers to victory against Palomar College on Feb. 21.
Riverside City College outscored their opponents 25-3 to start the weekend picking up two victories in back-to-back days against Grossmont and Palomar to continue their strong start to the season.
Jorge Rodriguez got the ball for the Tigers against Palomar at Evans Sports Complex and delivered his third straight appearance without allowing an earned run to earn his third victory on the young season.
“I attacked the zone early and was able to start rolling,” Rodriguez said. “His growth and progression has gotten better from his first outing,” Tigers head coach Rudy Arguelles added.
Rodriguez worked through three errors allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out four in his seven innings of work. The Vista Murrieta product threw a season-high 98 pitches in his outing.
“He’s been in attack mode, and it’s been very impressive,” Arguelles said. “It’s all confidence,” Rodriguez said on his recent success.
Leading the pack for the Tiger offense was freshman shortstop Bubba Heidler who knocked three hits and a run and a pair of sophomores, right fielder Marc DiCarlo Jr. and first baseman Dylan Nelson who each drove in two.
“Dicarlo is scorching right now,” Tigers assistant coach Christian Kirtley said. “Nelson and Bubba are staples of our lineup at the moment and we ride with them as much as we do Marc.”
These top-of-the-lineup staples have fired on all cylinders so far this season exemplifying the Tiger’s evolving approach on offense.
“Trusting the approach, solidifying our plan, and staying diligent,” Arguelles noted as the offense’s keys to success.
“After our loss to (San Diego) Mesa last week our focus was to strike out less and execute better,” Kirtley said. “That was our main focus of practice this week and it’s barring true right now.”
As Orange Empire Conference play inches closer to starting, The Tigers have begun solidifying roles, but Arguelles stated that it is “always subject to change.”
“The challenge for them is can we sustain this type of energy and focus, can we compete at this high level, and can we do it for three days in a row,” Arguelles said. “If you want to be a champion you got to do it three in a row.”
The Tigers run it back at Palomar on Feb. 22 in the third game of their nine-day stretch with seven games.
“The motto with this group is competing with everything that they do,” Arguelles said.
