NEITHER RAIN, NOR RELOCATION, NOR RAINBOWS KEEPS BC FROM THIRD W IN A ROW

Home Sweet Home!
Home Sweet Home!

Pitching

Win: Cain Roberts (1-0)
Loss: Scott Stokes (0-1)
Save: Taylor Burns (1)

Batting

Bakersfield
2B: Patrick Reynier; Caleb Hewes
3B: none
HR: none
Hartnell
2B: Nick Gardoni
3B: none
HR: none
full stats
Posted: Feb 03, 2017

The Bakersfield College Baseball team (3-2) beat Hartnell College (2-3) at Gerry Collis Field Friday in a game that was supposed to take place in Visalia, but was rescheduled at 8am this morning because of rain. 

The 4-2 win came amidst light sprinkles and dramatic clouds, and even a double-rainbow. But the best color was provided by catcher Kyle Wilma.

"Kyle handled the pitching staff well behind the plate, and he came up with the game winning RBI when he singled in Brock Hallum in the seventh inning," Coach Tim Painton said.

Starting pitcher Hudson Hartley (0-1) gave up two unearned runs and scattered six hits over four innnings while striking out one as BC continued to have struggles in the field.

"We were sloppy in the field, and if Cain Roberts hadn't stepped in and pitched four lights-out innings, we probably wouldn't have had the same outcome," Painton said.

BC was charged with three errors in the game, and Painton said it comes down to adjustments.

"Well, we didn't handle last weekend very well, and there are long days in a tournament like that. So today, they get to the ballpark planning on getting on the bus and rolling out. Now, the rain caused some shakeups, and they (Hartnell) asked about playing at our place, and we said yes. So the routine was interrupted...but at 8am this morning. We had time to adjust. And we didn't do a very good job at that today," Painton said. 

But desperation hasn't sunk in just five early games into the season. 
"I wish there was something clear I could attribute the errors to. It puts the pitching staff into tough positions to work out of. And the bottom line is, we have to get better, and we will get better," Painton said with an easy laugh. 
Meanwhile, the 'Gades international outfielders continue to have positive impacts on games. Yukoh Saito of Tokyo, Japan was two for five with an RBI-his fifth straight game with at least one run scored or an RBI. 
"We knew he could hit, and he's still got some room to improve, but he's a hard worker. And eh wants to improve in every facet of the game, so we are excited about him,"  Painton said. 
Frenchman Harry Tyler is in his third season at BC, and he's made huge strides since first showing up at Painton's desk. 
"As he came into our program, he was very deficient from a defensive standpoint, but to his credit, he's become a pretty good outfielder. He makes all the routine plays, and his arm has gotten better. He's made himself into an adequate defender by working very, and I mean very hard at that part of his game," Painton said. 
BC will continue to feel effects of wet weather up North with another rescheduling of a game; they'll play Reedley at their house at Noon, and wrap the weekend by playing College of the Sequoias at 1pm in Visalia on Sunday.