No. 2 Canyons Clubs Five Home Runs to Beat No. 12 Bakersfield 13-3
COC scored the game’s first 11 runs, led by center fielder Chris McCready’s two home runs and five RBIs.
The No. 2 College of the Canyons baseball team continues to roll, this time clobbering Bakersfield College 13-3 behind five home runs to record the team's 12th straight victory.
The Cougars cruised behind starting pitcher Jacob Musial's seven shutout innings in which he only allowed five hits and struck out 10 Renegade batters.
COC scored the game's first 11 runs, led by center fielder Chris McCready's two home runs and five RBIs. He finished the day 3-for-5 and scored four runs.
The tone of the game was set in COC's first at-bat when Colton Burns led off with a home run to provide an early 1-0 lead. Burns finished the game with three hits and scored four runs.
In the fourth inning, with COC already leading 3-0, McCready belted the first of his two home runs. His three-run shot drove in Burns and Darren Kriz to give COC a 6-0 lead. Roy Verdejo would add another run via a double that scored Chad Bible to end the inning with a 7-0 lead.
Bible added three more RBIs to his season total in addition to going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. Bible leads the team with 49 RBI on the season.
In the sixth, McCready doubled home JD Krauskopf to give COC an 8-0 advantage. Bible then hit a three-run home run of his own driving in McCready and Burns for an ultimately insurmountable 11-0 lead.
McCready's two homers give him four on the season and are his first home runs since March 4, against Consumnes River. He also hit two home runs inn that contest.
The Cougars ran into some problems in the top of the eighth inning when Cougar pitching allowed three runs, all via walks, after loading the bases with one out in the inning. The Cougars led 11-3 after eight innings.
In the home half of the inning the Cougars quickly answered back when McCready launched his second homer of the game. Anthony Lepre also hit a solo home run to help the Cougars build a 13-3 lead.
The win improved the COC's overall record to 24-4 and to 11-2 against Western State Conference, South opponents.
The Cougars now travel to Bakersfield for the second contest of a three-game series. That game will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 14.