Canyons Can't Come Back, Loses 10-9 to AVC
AVC posts a seven run third inning, which proves too much for COC to overcome.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 1 |
|
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2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 2 |
A seven-run third inning by Antelope Valley College was too much to overcome for the College of the Canyons baseball team as the Cougars lost their fourth consecutive game in a heartbreaking 10-9 loss at Cougar Field on Friday.
The offenses wreaked havoc on both starting pitchers. The two starters combined to pitch six innings and allowed nine earned runs on 14 hits.
Despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Cougars quickly found themselves down 7-2 after a seven-run third inning rally by the Marauders. Chad Haslock replaced Jesse Posey after the sophomore recorded just one out in the Marauder third inning.
Posey's final line wasn't pretty as the sophomore lasted two and 1/3 innings, while allowing seven hits, six runs, and five earned runs to take the loss. It was Posey's first defeat of the season.
The Cougars quickly responded in their half of the third inning and aimed to chip away at Antelope Valley's lead. COC scored two runs via a Roy Verdejo home run to cut the Marauder advantage to 7-4.
Verdejo's seventh home run of the season leads the Cougars and tops the Western State Conference. Verdejo has also knocked in 25 RBI to lead the conference.
With Canyons down 7-5 in the top of the fifth inning, the Marauders expanded their lead to 10-5 and the Cougars would be forced to claw out some more runs.
The relief pitching effort of Jase Young helped COC. Young entered in the seventh inning and held Antelope Valley off the scoreboard, pitching three innings of shutout relief.
The Cougars answered back with single runs in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings to cut the Antelope Valley lead to 10-8.
In the ninth inning, the Cougars started a rally and looked to complete a comeback.COC got started with a Cole Mears triple to lead off the bottom of the ninth.
The next batter, Jake Ryan, promptly doubled to left field to bring home Mears and the Cougars trailed 10-9.
However, with Ryan on second, the Cougars failed to score the tying run, striking out for all three outs of the inning to end the game.
The loss gives the Cougars a 12-9 overall record and a 5-4 record against conferences foes.
The Cougars next will host Citrus College at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24.