Gauchos break out big bats in 14-4 victory over Riverside
Centerfielder Brett Vertigan doubles to score Darren Coombs. (Shannon Patrick)
The Saddleback baseball team once again showed their powerful offensive skills against Riverside Community College on Thursday. The Gauchos defeated RCC,14-4, they had 14 hits and only one error.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Joe Richardson started the game and pitched seven shutout innings. Right-hander Rich Kemp pitched the eighth inning, allowing one run. In the ninth inning three Gaucho relievers allowed three runs to the Tigers. The Gauchos scored one in the second inning and then pounded eight runs in the sixth.
After singles by sophomore Jeff Montenegro and freshmen Dalton Sype in the sixth inning, sophomore Trevor Whyte reached on a fielders choice. With Sype on second and Whyte on first, freshmen Sean Parvin hit an RBI single to score Sype. Sophomore Joshua Leite stepped up to hit a RBI triple which drove in Whyte and Parvin.
Sophomore Nick McManus singled which scored Leite to make the score 5-0. Riverside made a pitching change bringing in left-handed pitcher Corey Caruso. Freshmen Darren Coombs singles and Tyler Krobetzky gets hit by pitch to load the bases.
Brett Vertigan stepped up to the plate and doubled which scored Coombs and McManus. Montenegro singled up the middle to score Krobetzky. After Montenegro stole second base Riverside made another pitching change. With left-handed pitcher Jeff Murray now on the mound for the Tigers, Sype singled and scored Vertigan. The inning came to end after a ground out by Whyte.
Saddleback scored five more runs in the eighth inning. After Riverside pitcher Anthony Lopez loads the bases Sype doubles to score Vertigan and Krobetzky. Bases are loaded once more when Whyte gets hit by the pitch. Parvin singled off new Riverside pitcher Scott Marisnick which drove in Montenegro and Sype. Freshmen Cole Shidaki pinch hits and singles and received the RBI when Whyte scores to make the Gauchos lead go up to 14-0.
Kemp started off by giving up a triple and a RBI single. The next three batters were retired in order.
Gilder relieved in the bottom of the ninth inning to allow a double, a ground out and two walks. Whieldon takes his turn on the mound and allows an RBI single, and error by Freshmen Jake Fields allows a run to score. Maza comes in to finish the game by getting the next two batters out.
The Gauchos finished the game with 10 conference wins and 22 overall wins for the season. Tomorrow (4-23) the Gauchos will host Santa Ana for a 2 p.m. game.