The Bakersfield College baseball team kept its Western State Conference-South championship hopes alive with a 5-3 victory over Citrus at Gerry Collis Field on Tuesday.

 
Hudson Hartley tossed a complete game five-hitter and Kyle James knocked in three runs to propel the Renegades to their sixth straight win and keep them within one game of WSC-South leader Glendale with two regular season games remaining for both teams.
 
Glendale knocked off last-place West LA, 9-1, on Tuesday.
 
Trailing 3-2, BC tied things against the Owls in the fourth inning on Jassen Oliver's RBI grounder and then took lead in seventh when Harrison Smith knocked in a run with a ground-rule double to left field.
 
Later in the seventh Smith drew a bases loaded walk for the final margin of victory.
 
"We did what we had to do," BC coach Tim Painton said. "…Smith's double was huge. The situation was real simple. He had to get the ball in the air. He's usually very good at handling that situation. He was fortunate enough to hit it into the ivy. Good at bat by him."
 
Hartley (6-5) had seven strike outs. The freshman right-hander was outstanding sans the third inning when he allowed Citrus its only three runs of the game.
 
After retiring Steven Mendoza to begin the inning, five straight Owls reached base, four with singles and one a via a walk.
 
Hartley bounced from the Owls offensive outburst to retire 17 of the next 18 batters he faced.
 
Hudson wasn't real sharp early," Painton said. Didn't have his good stuff. Everything works off of his fastball. He found that about the fourth inning…He worked through some tough spots early but he pitched an outstanding game and gave us a chance to win."
 
Hartley finished off his second straight complete game victory by giving up just one hit over the final five innings.
 
"When I started the game my arm was kind of sore," Hartley said. "But I found it late in the third inning an shut it down."
 
James and Brock Hallum had two hits each for BC, which had nine as a team.
 
The Renegades offense was keyed by extra-base hits.
 
BC took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on James two-run double.
 
The Renegades' run in the fourth came after Tyson Brewer hammered a double to center field.
 
Citrus used a trio of pitchers. Owls' starter Davis Radcliffe lasted just 3.2 inning but got a no decision.
 
Reliever Art Corona ,Jr., who gave up the two BC runs in the seventh took the loss.
 
"When (Harrison Smith) hit (the double in the seventh) I knew we had the game in the bag because when our team gets up we don't stop," Hartley said.
 
Game 2 of the series between BC and Citrus will be played in Glendora on Thursday. The final game of the three-game tilt is at Gerry Collis Field on Friday.