Rained On Their Parade

Glendora, CA - For the first time in at least a decade, the Citrus College Baseball team was forced to sit through a rain delay on their home field, when the Owls waited nearly two outs to play the final four outs of their WSC South contest with Glendale College on Saturday afternoon. The rain wasn't the only thing dampening the day though, as the Vaqueros rained on their parade and handed the Owls their seventh loss in their last eight games. 

 At first glance of Saturday's box score, it could be assumed that Glendale dominated the contest, recording seven more hits than the Owls and putting 17 total base runners on the paths on the day. Citrus managed just three total hits on the day, but proved patient at the plate drawing 11 walks, a season high 

All three of Glendale's runs on the afternoon would come in the top of the first inning, with only two of them being of the earned variety. Despite the three very early runs, Citrus managed to get one back in the bottom of the first, when freshman Marcos Campos scored on a wild pitch. 

After the four runs scored in the first inning, only one more run would be scored over the final eight innings. That didn't mean there weren't chances, as Glendale had a runner in scoring position in the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth innings. Citrus likewise had chances in the second, fifth, seventh, and eighth innings. The Owls were only able to score in those aforementioned frames, using an error by the Vaqueros to make it 2-3 when freshman Jacob Gafford scored in the bottom of the seventh. 

In the top of the ninth, with no one on, two outs, and the count sitting at 1-2, the rain began to really pour and the game was halted. The two teams would wait just over two hours for a small window to finish the game, and when they did, Glendale nearly added another score, drawing a pair of walks before freshman Roberto Baldanebro got the final Vaquero out of the game by fanning a batter looking. 

In the bottom half of the inning, Gafford would leg out an infield single to put the tying run on board. Gafford would sit on first through one out, and then get thrown out trying to steal second, only to watch as a few pitches later sophomore Ryan Aguilar walk. Freshman Hiroshia Ishiwatari would pinch run for Aguilar and advance to second on a passed ball, but the Owls never got any closer as the game ended on a fly out to left. 

With the loss, Citrus drops to 11-14-1 overall and 4-7 in WSC South play. The Owls will likely make up the middle game of the three game series with Glendale that got rained out on both Thursday and Friday on Monday afternoon. If weather doesn't permit once again, the Owls will start a three game set with Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar on Tuesday with first pitch set for 2:30 PM.