Cougars Win Conference Opener 4-3 at Bakersfield
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Canyons | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
|
Bakersfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
BAKERSFIELD — Alex Sepulveda doubled home Colin Yeaman in the eighth inning to lift College of the Canyons past host Bakersfield College 4-3 in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division opener on Tuesday.
The win for Canyons (8-7, 1-0) broke a three-game losing streak extending back to Feb. 28. The loss for Bakersfield (6-12, 0-1) was the club's seventh straight.
COC brought in the game's first run on a single from Andy Ambriz in the third inning. Bakersfield rallied to move ahead 3-1 after four full innings, causing head coach Chris Cota to remove starter Brooks Snyder from the game.
Snyder pitched three and 2/3 innings and was charged with three unearned runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out five in taking the no decision.
Andrew Allanson's RBI double in the fifth moved the Cougars a bit closer at 3-2, but the real rally of the game wouldn't come until the eighth inning.
With the Cougars' bullpen holding true behind Xavier Stoker, Jon Bahr and Malakai Correll, Yeaman eventually tied the game with a single to left field that plated Ambriz for a 3-3 ballgame. Sepulveda then brought in Yeaman for the game-winning run.
Stoker turned in three innings of solid relief work with three strikeouts along the way. Malakai Correll (1-3) earned his first win on the season. Jake Schwartz then pitched the eighth and ninth to close things out.
Top Performers
- Andy Ambriz — 2-for-4, R, RBI
- Jovan Camacho — 3-for-5, R
- Alex Sepulveda — 1-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI
- Xavier Stoker — 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K
- Jake Schwartz — W (1-0), 2 IP, H, BB
- Colin Yeaman — 2-for-4, R, RBI
Upcoming Schedule
The Cougars return home to continue the three-game series vs. Bakersfield at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 9. The series concludes Saturday, March 11 back in Bakersfield. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Conference play continues Tuesday, March 14 with the start of a three-game series vs. L.A. Valley College. That contest is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start.
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