Late Runs Not Enough for Owls

Citrus College Baseball battled hard but fell just short in a 9-8 loss to Los Angeles Mission College in today's opening game of their series. 

The Owls drop to 8-17 overall and 3-4 in conference play, while the Eagles improve to 8-18 and 3-4 in the conference. 

Citrus found themselves in trouble early, trailing 4-0 after the first inning. LA Mission added on another run in the third, extending their lead to 5-0. 

The Owls responded in the bottom of the third with a three-run rally. Dustin Yela got things started with an RBI single to drive in Adrian Sanchez. Derek Leader followed with an RBI single to score Yela, and Luke Willison capped the inning with a double to bring home Leader, cutting the deficit to 5-3. 

In the fourth, Yela kept the momentum going with an RBI double that scored Danyal Jenkins, making it a one-run game at 5-4. 

LA Mission added two more runs in the top of the fifth to push their lead to 7-4. But Willison answered in the bottom half with a towering solo home run to center field — his team-leading sixth of the season — to bring the Owls within two at 7-5. 

In the seventh, Jordan Quintero delivered a sacrifice fly to score Willison, trimming the deficit to 7-6. 

The Eagles scored again in the eighth to go up 8-6, but Citrus fought back to tie it in the bottom of the inning. Yela ripped an RBI double to score Joshua Cortinas, and a Nathan Hellein sac fly brought home Yela, evening the score at 8-8. 

LA Mission plated the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. The Owls threatened in the bottom of the inning, putting two runners on base, but couldn't bring them home. 

Standout Performances in Game 1 vs. LA Mission College

• Dustin Yela had a monster day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored, one stolen base, and one walk. 

• Derek Leader also went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. 

• Luke Willison went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, a stolen base, and a walk. 

• The Owls were aggressive on the base paths, with Ezekiel Escalera, Chase Bernal, and Danyal Jenkins each swiping two bases. 

Citrus College will travel to LA Mission College this Thursday, March 27th for game 2 of the series at 2 p.m.