Patience Pays Off

Glendora, CA -- The Citrus College Baseball team snapped a small two game slide on Tuesday afternoon with a 10-7 win over visiting San Bernardino Valley College. The Owls' patience at the plate paid off in a big way, as it played a key role in a huge eight run sixth inning.

San Bernardino struck first, using a solo home run to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The Owls answered back in the same way in the bottom half of the inning, when freshman Jeremyn "J.P." Hopkins hit a solo home run to straight away center field to make it 1-1.

The Wolverines kept their momentum going with two more scores in the top of the third, but Citrus wasn't far behind, getting a RBI single to left field from freshman Jonathan Ayala that scored sophomore Taylor Grace to make it 2-3 in the bottom of the third.

San Bernardino would be held scoreless in the fourth, as would the Owls, but the tacked on an insurance score in the top of the fifth to go up 4-2. Citrus would rally an inning later using that aforementioned eight run sixth to take a big lead.

In that inning, Grace hit an RBI single through the left side of the field with the bases loaded, before sophomores Shawn Sweeney and Troy Resch drew bases loaded RBI walks. Ayala would get on safely due to an error, but pick up an RBI thanks to scoring Grace. That was followed by sophomore Anthony Virgen's first RBI of the year, a seeing eye single through the left side of the field that drove in Sweeney. Resch would score a few pitches later thanks to a wild pitch by the Wolverine on the hill, and freshman Rudy Casarez III would finish up the scoring with a two RBI single, again through the left side of the field.

Trailing 10-4, San Bernardino tried to work their way back into the game, getting a three run home run to cut the Owls lead to three. The Wolverines would threaten again in the top of the ninth, when their lead-off batter opened up the inning with a single. Sophomore Conlan McKenzie, who come on to start the inning, settled down and got the next three batters to all strike out swinging, ending the game and the threat.

Sophomore Nicholas Sergi (1-0) earned the win on the day. Sergi went scattered eight hits, four runs, and just one walk over six innings of work. Sergi fanned six batters for good measure. At the plate Grace would finish 3 for 5 with a pair of runs and an RBI, while Ayala and Casarez both added a pair of knocks.

With the win, Citrus improves to 3-2 on the young year. The Owls will be back at home on Thursday when they host Mt. San Jacinto College for a 2:00 PM first pitch.