COD Baseball salvages final game of series, crushes Eagles, 13-3

COD (11-26; 8-13) put up 11 runs over the bottom of the 7th and 8th innings as the Roadrunners staved off a potential sweep and shot down the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles (12-25; 11-10), 13-3.

Sophomore right handed starting pitcher Austin Clifton (Romoland Heritage) went eight strong innings, dishing out six strike outs and only walking one, in collecting his second win of the season. And two pitchers combined to close things out in the top of the ninth, including sophomore right handed relief pitcher Isaiah Kinder (Yucca Valley H.S.), who spent 20 minutes warming up and threw one pitch to get the final out of the game.

Freshman first baseman Jonathan Mejia (Palm Desert H.S.) had a great day at the plate, as he went 4 for 4 with, three runs scored and three runs batted in, on top of getting plunked on a hit-by-pitch in his final at bat of the afternoon. 

The Eagles got onto the board early when Mt. San Jacinto hit a one out triple to left-center field and then scored on a ground out to first base in the bottom of the first, taking a 1-0 lead.

The Roadrunners would tie things up in the bottom of the second when Mejia scored on an error by the Eagles first baseman, tying the game at 1-1.

Neither team would score again until the bottom of the fifth, when freshman center fielder Adam Lopez (La Quinta H.S.) led off the inning with a double to left then scored on an RBI single to right by freshman short stop Nathanael Tiaga (Indio Shadow Hills), giving the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead.

Then the flood gates opened in the bottom of the seventh, as a leadoff single to center by sophomore catcher Julian Gonzalez (Palm Springs H.S.) chased the Eagles starting pitcher and they got two quick outs, but once Desert dug into the Mt. San Jacinto bullpen the game disintegrated in favor of the home side. Freshman left fielder Joshua Hernandez (Palm Desert H.S.) singled to center scoring Gonzalez and sophomore third baseman Nick Follett (Toronto (ONT) Bishop Allen Academy) would load the bases on a hit-by-pitch. That hit-by-pitch chased the first Eagles reliever and Mejia greeted the new pitcher by smacking a 2 RBI single to center field. Then Clifton was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and sophomore right fielder Quinton Bidon (Enumclaw, WA) crushed a bases clearing double to left scoring three more runs. Gonzlaez would bring Bidon home on a single to center, making the score 10-1.

Desert would score four more runs in the bottom of the eighth as sophomore second baseman Jerred Soriano (Honolulu (HI) Moanalua) scored when Mejia grabbed a bases loaded hit-by-pitch. Clifton would help score two more runs when he singled to center, scoring Follett and Hernandez and Mejia would head home on a single to left by Lopez.

Next home game for College of the Desert Baseball will be the final game of the 2018 season, "Sophomore Day" will take place on Thursday, April 26th at 2 p.m., where they will wrap up Pacific Coast Athletic Conference play by hosting the San Diego Mesa Olympians of Clairemont Mesa. Hope to see you there.

Photo by Michael Leone Photography (f8leone@yahoo.com)

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.