Canyons Takes First Conference Series with 9-3 Win at LAVC
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Canyons | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 2 |
|
LA Valley | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 4 |
By Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information
VALLEY GLEN — College of the Canyons worked for a 12-9 victory over host L.A. Valley College on Saturday, concluding the conference-opening series having won two of three over the Monarchs.
The Cougars (8-10, 2-1) maintained a narrow one-run lead through the fourth inning, before L.A. Valley (12-7, 1-2) surged with a five-run fifth inning to put Canyons back in catch up mode.
COC got on the board first when Doyle Kane grounded out, letting Mikey Kane cross home plate at 1-0.
Both Kane brothers made an impact for the Cougars, combining for six hits and scoring three runs each at the plate.
After the big Monarch fifth inning COC responded by pushing across eight runs over the next four innings. Canyons briefly retook the lead at 9-8 in the eighth on a trio of unearned runs aided by a crucial LAVC infield error.
Tied 9-9 in the top of the ninth, an RBI single by Doyle Kane and a double to center field by Steven Gonzalez put the Cougars back ahead, this time for good, by a 12-9 score.
The back-and-forth ballgame called for Canyons head coach Chris Cota to call on his bullpen three times. Dylan Jacobs relieved starter Kyle Cop in the top of the fifth to get the Cougars through that inning.
From there, freshman Xavier Stoker took over for a couple innings slowing Valley's momentum and Josh Yosfan concluded the game, earning the win.
Top Performers
- Doyle Kane—3-for-5, 3B, 2B, 3 runs, 2 RBI
- Mikey Kane—3-for-5, 2B, sac-fly, 3 runs, RBI
- Steven Gonzalez—2-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI
- Andy Ambriz—1-for-4, 2 BB, run, 2 RBI
- Alex Ballesteros—2-for-5, 2B, BB, run, RBI
Upcoming Schedule
Canyons will continue conference play in a three-game, away-home-away series with L.A. Mission College. The series gets underway Tuesday, March 15 at 2:30 p.m. in Sylmar.
COC baseball home games will be live streamed to fans on YouTube via the Cougars Sports Network. Continue to monitor www.COCathletics.com for livestream links or subscribe to the COC Athletics channel on YouTube.
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.
—Photo by Kyle Kawamoto/COC Sports Information