Whittier, Calif. – Things for the Mt SAC Baseball Team are starting to click as they collected their fifth consecutive win with an 8-2 victory over Rio Hondo in game two of the series on February 27. The Mounties improve to 8-9 overall and remain undefeated in South Coast Conference play at 5-0. The Roadrunners drop to 4-12 overall and 0-4 in conference action.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Mounties got on the board in the top of the third when Frankie Brazil came home on a Rio Hondo balk. In a daredevil move, Chip Mertz added another run when he stole home as the Mounties took a 2-0 lead.
The offense continued to build in the fourth inning. Doubles from Jackson Giacone and Mertz, along with an RBI single from Hudson Karczynski, extended the lead to 5-0.
The Roadrunners managed a run in the bottom of the fourth when Anthony Soriano made contact for a single. But the Mounties responded immediately in the top of the fifth when Luca Lombardi grounded into a double play that allowed Andrew Alva to score, pushing the lead to 6-1.
A Mountie error in the bottom half of the fifth allowed the Roadrunners to cut the deficit to 6-2, but that was as close as they would get.
Mt. SAC added insurance in the sixth on an RBI single from Alva and capped the scoring in the seventh when another Rio Hondo balk brought a run home to make it 8-2.
Hudson Castillo got the start, pitching five innings while allowing seven hits and two runs with one strikeout. Jack Rudometkin worked one inning in relief before Noah Tanphanich closed out the final three innings, striking out five to secure the win.
Defense played a key role in the outcome. While both teams struggled at times in the field, Mt. SAC committed four errors compared to Rio Hondo's seven — a difference that proved costly for the Roadrunners.
NEXT UP:
The Mounties return home Saturday at 12:00 p.m. for the final game of the three-game series against Rio Hondo. Mt. SAC will look to complete the series sweep and keep their perfect conference record intact with back-to-back sweeps.
STAY CONNECTED:
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.