Head Coach Stefan McGovern and the West Hills College Baseball squad (3-4) took the field Sunday in a twin bill matchup vs. Lassen College (4-3). The Falcons took game one by a score of 9-8 and dropped the second game 12-2.
Game 1:
Southpaw Spencer Hammond took the mound for West Hills to open the day. Hammond lasted five innings and allowed six earned runs while striking out four Lassen batters.
West Hills took the early lead when Alante Uribe brought home Evan Richards with a RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.
Lassen responded with a four run second inning to gain the 4-1 lead.
In the bottom of the second inning Brandon Hernandez singled to left field to score Scotty Ingle. Next up was Evan Richards, who doubled to deep right field to bring in two additional West Hills runs.
In the fifth inning Lassen was able to cross two more runs on three hits. In the bottom half of the inning West Hills tacked on one more run from an RBI double to left field from Uribe, making the score 7-6 in favor of Lassen.
First out of the bullpen for Coach McGovern's squad was right handed Torin Miller. Miller's three and one thirds innings pitched was exactly what the team needed late in the game. Miller allowed one run and three hits.
The Falcons tied the score in the 6th with another RBI single from Richards scored Scotty Ingle.
Once again, Richards came up again in the eighth inning and gave West Hills the lead with an RBI single to center field.
The Cougars responded with a run of its own in the top of the ninth to once again tie the game. Jaret Olson relieved Miller in the top of the ninth and escaped a jam to keep the score tied. Olson worked in two thirds of an inning and allowed no hits and no runs.
Trent Bollman got the Falcons going in the top of the ninth inning with a single to center field. A walk to Jeff Torres then added pressure to the Cougar defense. An intentional walk to Danny Perez loaded the bags for West Hills. With two outs in the inning sophomore Scotty Ingle came up big with a single to shallow left field to bring in the game-winning run. Jaret Olson got his first victory of the year.
Final Score: West Hills 9 – Lassen 8.
Game 2:
It was all Lassen in game two of the day as the Falcons allowed 18 free bases via walk, hit by pitch, or error. The Cougars jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first with a bases loaded RBI single. Lassen reached base 4 times in the inning via walk, as starter Nate Voechting struggled with control.
The Falcon offense answered back with three hits and two runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Lassen pitching staff quieted the Falcons bats and held them scoreless after the first inning.
Lassen was able to score 12 runs on seven hits and one West Hills error. The mercy rule came into effect and ended the game in the eighth inning. The Cougars took game two by a score of 12-2.
Freshman Evan Richards was a key component in the Falcons game one victory of the day.
"As a team we kept battling back each inning," said Richards. "Up and down the lineup we were all putting the ball in play consistently. The guys in front of me got on, and I just tried to not do too much."
The Falcons will now hit the road to face off against Barstow on Tuesday, February 14th. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.