Cougars Complete Sweep With 6-4 Road Win at L.A. Valley
Canyons (6-11-1, 3-0) has now won three straight to begin Western State Conference (WSC) play.
Story and photo by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
VAN NUYS — The Cougars opened up an early 5-0 lead then persevered through a brief mid-inning hiccup to claim an eventual 6-4 victory and complete a three-game sweep over host L.A. Valley to conclude the first week of conference play.
College of the Canyons moved its overall record to 6-11-1 and is unbeaten at 3-0 vs. Western State Conference (WSC), South Division opponents. The Monarchs fall to 8-11 and 0-3 in conference.
COC primarily played small ball in the contest with nine hits in the game. The only extra-base hits came in the form of three triples, only one of which scored a run. Canyons plated a pair of unearned runs and added one more on a wild pitch.
Will Chambers (2-1) got the win and also helped out at the dish going 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Davis Cop led the Cougars with two hits and was one of five Cougars that knocked in a run. COC also swiped four bags, led by two from Tyler Grodell, to help keep the Monarchs on their heels.
The Canyons bullpen worked four innings of scoreless relief, helping to strand 15 LAVC runners on base. The Monarchs also committed three errors to aid the Cougars.
Top Performers
Davis Cop went 2-for-5 with a triple and an RBI.
Tyler Grodell finished 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two stolen bases.
Will Chambers threw five innings and allowed four runs, none earned, on nine hits. At the plate he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI.
Rane Pfeifer, Ernesto Esparza and Sam Stulman combined four shutout innings of relief. Stulman recorded three strikeouts in his 2 and 1/3 innings of work to earn the save.
Up Next
Canyons will continue conference play with a three-game series vs. L.A. Mission College. With inclement weather in the forecast, the series opener, which had originally been scheduled for Tuesday, was shifted instead to Monday. Game two is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 12 at Cougar Field with the finale currently set for Friday, March 13 back in Sylmar. All games are scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.