Barrett, Selleck lead Taft to first win at Antelope Valley

Sophomore Greyson Barrett drove in two runs while sophomore Michael Selleck allowed one run over his six inning start on the mound to help lead the Taft College baseball team to an 8-1 non-conference win at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster on Monday.

The victory was the first of the season for the Cougars and snapped a four-game losing streak.

Barrett went 2 for 5 and delivered his biggest blow of the game as part of the Cougars' big six-run, second-inning rally. With Taft leading 3-1, Barrett smashed a two-run triple to the gap in right-center field to drive in Chris Ortega and Damien Holmes. Barrett added a double and scored a run.

After allowing a run in the bottom of the first inning to Antelope Valley, Selleck settled down to toss five scoreless innings. During a stretch between the second and fifth innings, he retired 11 straight batters. Selleck scattered five hits and struck out three.

Josiah Steen, Jordan Eldred, and Julian DeLeon closed out the win by throwing one scoreless inning each.

Nikolas Cortez had a good game at the plate, going 2 for 5 with an RBI single in the ninth. He also scored a run.

Taft returns to action on Friday (Feb. 7) at 2 p.m. when it opens a three-game series at Ohlone College in Newark. The set concludes on Saturday (Feb. 8) with a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m.