Rams Keep the Eagles From Taking Flight After Loading the Bases in the Ninth-Inning
By Henry Crowell
henrycrowell5@gmail.com
Clutch pitching and timely hits were significant factors in the Rams’ win against the Laney College Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
City College took the victory with a score of 4-3, raising their record to 3-3 on the season. This comes after their loss to the Eagles just three days prior with a final score of 8-5.
City College and Laney are now tied for the season at one win a piece, and it will likely stay that way, as they are not scheduled to play each other the rest of the season.
“Laney is always a big game; it’s our crosstown rival,” said coach Mario Mendoza. Freshman pitcher Elijah Heredia seemed to be feeling it when he struck out Eagles third baseman Jacob Odom to end the seventh-inning, animated as he came off the mound.
Heredia, the starting pitcher, gave the Rams seven innings of good pitching, allowing two earned runs on six hits, walked four batters, and struck out six.
“I got guys behind me making plays,” Heredia said. “It’s the easiest thing when they make a play, it fires me up every time. That’s gonna get me through a lot this year.”
Sophomore first baseman Mark Zhu hit a line drive into the right-center field gap for a double that scored two runs in the fifth inning. “I was looking for anything over the plate, ready to drive…I think it was a changeup; first two pitches, I got a changeup and a slider,” Zhu said.
Zhu had two hits that day. The aforementioned double, as well as a single in the fourth-inning to go along with a walk and a stolen base, the latter of which resulted in him scoring. Sophomore Adrian Hernandez contributed a walk, a hit, and two stolen bases.
On the losing side, sophomore second baseman Ronald Gay Jr. had two hits in two at-bats, tagging on two walks and stealing a base. Freshmen centerfielder Mateo Valadez had a double in the 2nd inning that plated Gay, adding another RBI in the 9th inning when he reached on a fielder’s choice.
Following Heredia was sophomore pitcher David Madera Jr., who got out of a jam in the ninth-inning to pick up his first save of the season. He pitched two innings and allowed one run on one hit, surrendering one walk and striking out two.
After loading the bases at the top of the ninth, Madera struck out Laney shortstop Jesus Vasquez and was then able to get the second out of a fielder’s choice. Sophomore Casey Leavitt-Mcgee, a recent commit to Cal State Bakersfield, came up for the Eagles with the game on the line, and Madera made him ground out to the shortstop Ray Castilo, ending the game and securing the win for the Rams.
City College lost its next two games, 6-5 and 12-5, against Yuba College on Feb. 12 and Hartnell College on Feb. 15, respectively. It will travel to Lancaster for its next opponent, the Antelope Valley College Marauders, for two games on Feb. 20 and 21.