Taft College Rallies Late for 8-5 Road Win at Antelope Valley

A five-run eighth inning powered Taft College past Antelope Valley, 8-5, as the Cougars turned a late deficit into a road win Tuesday afternoon in Taft, Calif.

Trailing 5-3 going into the top of the eighth, Taft sent nine batters to the plate and delivered the decisive blow of the game. Edel Guemarez capped the comeback with a two-run single as part of the big inning, turning a two-run deficit into a 6-5 lead. The Cougars added insurance on an RBI walk from William Glover and a sacrifice fly from Eian Peralta, then an RBI single by Hayden Ryan to stretch the advantage to 8-5, a margin that held the rest of the way.

Guemarez set the tone early and finished as Taft's offensive catalyst. The Cougars' hitter opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first, then later delivered the key two-RBI single in the eighth. He reached base five times, going 2-for-2 with three runs scored, three RBIs and three walks. Glover also sparked the offense at the top of the lineup, collecting two hits, scoring twice, driving in a run, drawing a walk and swiping four of Taft's seven stolen bases.

Despite jumping ahead 1-0, Taft spent much of the afternoon playing from behind. Antelope Valley answered with a run in the third and then pushed across two more in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run double from C. Baughman to left that made it 3-1. The home side extended its lead to 4-1 in the sixth and appeared in control, even after the Cougars cut the deficit to 4-3 in the seventh on RBI singles from Peralta and Ryan.

Antelope Valley briefly regained momentum in the bottom of the seventh when C. Rollings reached on a fielder's choice that produced a run and pushed the lead back to 5-3. But Taft's offense, which finished with 12 hits and six walks while leaving nine on base, continued to pressure Antelope Valley's pitching staff. The Cougars' patience at the plate and aggressiveness on the bases combined to finally break through in the eighth-inning outburst.

On the mound, Ryden Walker turned in a workmanlike outing to keep Taft within striking distance. Walker worked 6.0 innings, allowing six hits and four runs with four strikeouts on 87 pitches. The Cougars' bullpen then closed the door over the final three frames, holding Antelope Valley scoreless on three hits to secure the come-from-behind victory. Defensively, Taft played clean baseball with no errors, while limiting Antelope Valley to nine hits despite four doubles and a home run from the hosts.

Baughman led Antelope Valley with a 3-for-4 day that included three doubles and two RBIs, while Rollings added two hits, a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Still, the Cougars' late surge proved to be the difference as Taft turned a 4-1 and then 5-3 deficit into a statement road win, using timely hitting, speed and a disciplined approach at the plate to close out the contest.