Cougars split 2-game series with Bakersfield

Taft College used a relentless offense in the nightcap to earn a doubleheader split with Bakersfield, rolling to a 15-5 win in Game 2 on Feb. 14 at Cougar Field after dropping the opener 6-4 on Feb. 12 at Gerry Collis Field.

In the second game of the set, the Cougars turned a back-and-forth start into a runaway victory with scoring innings from the fourth through the eighth. Trailing 3-1 after a solo home run by Bakersfield's L. McDonald in the top of the fourth, Taft responded with a momentum-shifting frame in the bottom half, capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch to Eian Peralta and a combination of groundouts and a wild pitch to take a 3-2 lead. That go-ahead inning set the tone as the Cougars seized control and never trailed again.

Taft added two more runs in the fifth, with Hayden Ryan singling and eventually scoring as the Cougars continued to pressure Bakersfield's pitching. The decisive separation came in the sixth, when Ryan delivered a two-run double as part of a four-run inning that pushed the margin to 9-3. Taft tacked on three more runs in the seventh, then put the game out of reach in the eighth when pinch-hitter Diego Velez launched a three-run home run, extending the lead to 15-3 and capping a dominant offensive performance that featured 15 runs on eight hits and 11 walks.

On the mound in Game 2, starter Sebastian Montoya gave the Cougars the stability they needed, working 6.0 innings and allowing just two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Taft's bullpen handled the final frames to secure the win, limiting Bakersfield to two late solo home runs in the ninth by McDonald and L. Shaw after the outcome was largely decided. Despite allowing nine hits overall, Taft's staff held Bakersfield to five runs, helped by stranding 11 runners on base.

Ryan led the Cougars' offensive production in the second game with two hits, including a run-scoring double, and two RBI as part of Taft's multi-inning surge. Velez provided the exclamation point with his pinch-hit three-run shot in the eighth, while William Glover added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to continue the Cougars' pattern of manufacturing runs. Taft also applied pressure by working 11 walks, turning limited hits into extended innings and big scoring opportunities.

In the opener two days earlier, Taft nearly completed a late comeback before Bakersfield answered in the eighth to close out a 6-4 decision at Gerry Collis Field. Bakersfield built an early 5-0 cushion, striking for two runs in the first on a triple by J. Brito and a two-run home run from L. O'Reilly. The hosts added a run in the second on an RBI single by N. Martin and pushed the lead to 5-0 in the fourth on run-scoring singles from L. McDonald and C. Gerecke, the latter coming home as part of an unearned run following a Cougars defensive miscue.

Taft's offense came alive late in Game 1. The Cougars broke through in the seventh when Gaku Yamamoto lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Adrian Lopez, cutting the deficit to 5-1. One inning later, Taft mounted a three-run rally to pull within one. William Glover singled to center to plate J'Den Briones, Edel Guemarez followed with a run-scoring groundout, and Lopez grounded out to second to bring home another run, closing the gap to 5-4 and putting the tying run at the plate.

Bakersfield, however, had the final answer in the bottom of the eighth, when O'Reilly doubled and McDonald followed with an RBI triple down the right-field line to make it 6-4. That insurance run held up in the ninth. Taft finished Game 1 with four runs on seven hits but left three runners on base and committed three errors, while Bakersfield collected 15 hits and stranded 13.

Across the doubleheader, Taft's offense showed its ability to score in bunches, highlighted by the 15-run outburst in the second game that flipped the narrative after a narrow loss in the opener. The Cougars' combination of patient at-bats, timely extra-base hits from Ryan and Velez, and a quality start from Montoya allowed Taft to close the two-game set on a high note and build momentum heading into the next stretch of the season.