Cougars Baseball rides early surge, holds off Reedley for 8-6 win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 5 |
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0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 12 | 2 |
Taft College built an eight-run cushion in the middle innings and did just enough late to finish off Reedley College, 8-6, on Monday afternoon on the road. The Cougars scored four runs in the second inning and four more in the third, then survived a three-run Reedley rally in the ninth to secure the home win.
The decisive stretch came early. Taft broke through in the second when Gaku Yamamoto doubled home Edel Guemarez, and Landon Angelo later delivered a single that produced two more runs as an error in center field helped extend the play. The Cougars struck again in the third, with Roberto Madrigal singling to help set up another rally before Zaden Kekoa D. Sibal lined a two-run single as Taft pushed the lead to 8-0. Reedley committed five errors in the game, and several of those mistakes fed Taft's big innings.
Sibal led Taft's offense with two hits and three RBIs in five at-bats. Guemarez went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored, while Madrigal also collected three hits in five at-bats, scored once and stole a base. As a team, the Cougars finished with 12 hits, matching Reedley, and made the most of their early traffic on the bases.
On the mound, Chase Phillips gave Taft the length it needed. Phillips worked seven innings in the winning effort as Reedley did not score until the fourth. The visitors chipped away with a run on Eli Garay's RBI single in the fourth, then got closer in the seventh when Dom DeCanio doubled home Marc-Anthony Carroll. Garay added a sacrifice fly in the eighth, trimming the margin to 8-3.
Reedley made the final inning tense. Carroll singled, DeCanio was hit by a pitch, and consecutive run-producing hits from Tyler Tuckness, Owen Lindstrom and Auston Sharp brought the Tigers within two. Lindstrom finished 3 for 5 with an RBI, and Garay drove in two runs. Taft's bullpen recorded the remaining outs before the tying run could come to the plate, preserving the Cougars' win after Reedley stranded 11 runners.
Reedley starter Reece Van Alen took the loss after working 2 2/3 innings. Taft improved its day with a complete offensive burst in the second and third innings, and that early separation held up even as Reedley pressed late.
The Cougars will play their last home game this Friday, April 24 at 2:00 pm. There will be a pre-game celebration at 1:45 pm to celebrate Head Coach Vince Maiocco's.