Cougars take opener on Lopez’s walk-off blast, drop next two vs. Sequoias

Taft College split a three-game set with College of the Sequoias behind a dramatic comeback win in the opener at Cougar Field, then dropped the next two contests as the offense cooled in a doubleheader that stretched across Feb. 18 and Feb. 21.

The Cougars opened the series with a 5-2 walk-off victory on Feb. 18, capped by a four-run ninth inning and a decisive three-run home run from Adrian Lopez. Trailing 2-1 heading into their final at-bat, Taft turned five total hits and an error-free defensive effort into a late surge that erased a two-run deficit and delivered the home club an early series edge.

Sequoias controlled much of Game 1, scoring single runs in the second and fifth innings on RBI singles by Ai. Medina and J. Chairez to build a 2-0 lead. Taft's pitching staff limited the damage despite 10 Giants hits, allowing just one earned run and stranding six runners to keep the Cougars within striking distance. Reliever Caleb Garven was sharp late, working 1 1/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit to help set the stage for the comeback.

Taft's offense finally broke through in the seventh when Hayden Ryan singled home a run to cut the deficit to 2-1. Two innings later, the Cougars completed the rally. After putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth, Lopez turned on a pitch and delivered a three-run homer—credited as unearned because of a Sequoias miscue—pushing Taft in front 5-2. Lopez finished Game 1 with one hit and three RBIs, providing all the punch the Cougars needed to make their five total hits count.

In the Feb. 21 nightcap at Cougar Field, Taft could not replicate its late-game magic as Sequoias evened the series with a 4-1 win. The visitors established control early, scoring once in each of the first three innings and adding a run in the fifth to build a 4-0 cushion. A. Flores drove the offense at the top of the order with three hits, including a third-inning home run, while Ai. Medina and A. Jones each added run-scoring swings as Sequoias totaled 10 hits and left 11 runners on base.

Taft managed six hits and drew three walks in Game 2 but struggled to capitalize, stranding five baserunners and not breaking through until the seventh inning, when Aiden Otano singled in the Cougars' lone run. Sequoias starter J. Smith handled most of the work on the mound, tossing seven innings with six strikeouts and allowing just one earned run to keep Taft from mounting another late-inning rally. The Cougars' staff struck out 10 hitters in the loss but was forced to pitch from behind all afternoon after the Giants' early scoring push.

The series concluded on Feb. 22 at Sequoias, where Taft again battled from behind before ultimately falling 5-3. The Giants jumped to a 4-0 lead with a four-run second inning, using an RBI single from A. Jones and a sequence of bases-loaded walks to generate offense without a big swing. Taft answered with its best offensive frame of the day in the fourth, when Aiden Otano lined an RBI single and Gaku Yamamoto followed with a two-run single to trim the deficit to 4-3.

Sequoias rebuilt its margin in the fifth as W. Selley singled and later came around to score, restoring a two-run lead that held the rest of the way. Taft finished with six hits and three runs but could not push across another run over the final five innings against Sequoias starter G. Hastin, who worked seven innings with five strikeouts. Otano notched two hits and an RBI, while Yamamoto added a hit and two RBIs to lead the Cougars' attack in the series finale.

Over the three-game stretch, Taft's highlight remained the opener's ninth-inning turnaround, keyed by Lopez's three-run blast and a clean defensive performance that turned a low-hit day into a comeback win. Despite dropping the final two games, the Cougars showed the ability to rally and manufacture runs in key innings.