Owls Keep It Going With Big Win Over #7 LA Mission

Glendora, CA - The Citrus College Baseball team kept momentum firmly in their corner on Tuesday afternoon when they hosted SoCal #7 Los Angeles Mission College. The Owls rapped out 13 hits, surrendered just six of their own, and thoroughly controlled the game against on of the top teams in SoCal in a big 13-2 win over the visiting Eagles. 

 Freshman Peter Eitapence got Citrus off on the right foot, retiring the first six batters he faced on the afternoon. Eitapance was then gifted an early lead after a solo shot to left field by freshman Kristian Scott in the bottom of the first and then a four run bottom of the second that saw sophomore Jacob Gafford plate a pair on an RBI double, freshman Donovyn Curiel drive in a run on a groundout, and freshman Benjamin Aguilera rope an RBI single down the left field line. 

Eitapance would give up just one hit in his three innings of work, retiring the first batter of the top of the third before giving up a single to left-center field. For the second straight game though, Eitapance faced the minimum amount of batters by getting an inning ending double-play a few plays later effectively thwarting the vaunted Eagle offense. 

Scott continued to put on a power show in the bottom of the fourth when he belted his second bomb of the game, this one to center field. In the bottom of the fifth, Gafford would score on a balk, before Scott hit an RBI single through the right side of the field, and then Aguilera an RBI single that made it 9-0. 

Mission wouldn't score their first run until the top of the sixth when they did so on a groundout, but Citrus had four more runs for them before they could even score their second of the game, putting Citrus firmly in the lead for good. Sophomore Roberto Baldenebro (2-1) would earn the win, after taking over for Eitapence in the fourth, going five innings in which he allowed three hits, two walks, one hit batter, one earned run, and did so while striking out four hitters. 

Scott would finish a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate with 3 RBIs and a pair of runs. Gafford would finish 2 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while freshman Jesse Villalobos and sophomore Marcos Campos each added a pair of hits. 

With the win, Citrus moves to 8-7-1 on the year. The Owls will hit the road on Thursday and open up Western State Conference East Division play against Glendale College who has won five out of the last six Western State Conference South Division Championships. First pitch is set for 2:00 PM.