Canyons Baseball Takes Series Opener 10-9 Over Bakersfield
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
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2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 10 | 14 | 2 |
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
College of the Canyons took the opener of its series with Bakersfield College by a 10-9 final score at Cougar Field on Tuesday, in a game the Cougars had to have to keep its postseason hopes alive.
The Cougars got off to a hot start behind a two-run single from Andy Ambriz in the first and followed with a solo home run from Rowan Teran and RBI-doubles from Doyle Kane and Ambriz in the second to move ahead 6-0.
Bakersfield (11-27, 5-14) got on the board in the third with a three-run shot from Jacob Baker to put the game at 6-3.
Ryan Camacho's sac-fly in the fourth brought home Alex Ballesteros to put the ballgame at 7-3.
After the Renegades pushed across an unearned run in the fifth to make it a 7-4 affair, it was DJ Kougher with a sac-fly that plated Camacho before Tafton Hensley teed off on a two-run blast, good for his 14th of the year and tying him for the state lead in home runs.
Despite trailing 10-5 heading to the eighth the Renegades showed no signs of quit, as the Bakersfield lineup combined for three more home runs to get within a run at 10-9.
Bakersfield catcher Xabi Iparraguirre notched home runs in the eighth and ninth innings to threaten the Cougars chances at victory, but evemtually COC reliever Xavier Stoker was able to shut the door on any comeback attempt.
Cougar starter Brandon Whiting (4-2) tossed the first six innings to earn the win. He allowed four hits and was charged with three earned runs to go with three walks and three strikeouts.
Canyons (18-19, 11-8) is currently second in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division with two games left on the schedule. COC is leading L.A. Mission (21-16, 10-9), L.A. Valley (24-14, 10-9), Citrus College (16-22, 9-10), and Antelope Valley (20-16, 9-10) who are all vying for runner-up status.
Top Performers
- Doyle Kane — 2-for-4, BB, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
- Andy Ambriz — 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI
- Rowan Teran — 2-for-5, HR, R, RBI
- Ryan Camacho — 2-for-4, SB, SAC, 2 R, RBI
- Tafton Hensley — 1-for-3, BB, HR, SAC, R, 2 RBI
- DJ Kougher — 1-for-2, 2 BB, SAC, R, RBI
- Brandon Whiting — W, 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Upcoming Schedule
The Cougars and Renegades with continue the three-game series on Thursday in Bakersfield before shifting back to Santa Clarita for Friday's regular season finale. Both games are scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch.
Fans unable to attend Friday's game can view the live stream broadcast on the Cougars Sports Network here. Canyons broadcasting student Matt Frieda has the call.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
—Photo by Kyle Kawamoto/COC Sports Information
