Baseball Splits Season Opening Series with COS

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The Allan Hancock College baseball program opened the season with a split after College of the Sequoias in a two-game series at John Osborne Field over the weekend. 

The Bulldogs are set to return to the diamond at home on Tuesday, January 30th, versus Long Beach City College. Single-game tickets for the contest, which is scheduled to begin at 2 PM on John Osborne Field, can be purchased at ahcbulldogs.com/ticketing. As per usual, the ticketing gate will be cashless and fans are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets prior to arrival, but credit/debit card purchases can be made at the gate.

GAME ONE: AHC 9, COS 2 | BOX SCORE

The home squad pulled off a decisive victory in the season opener, highlighted by a four-run inning in the seventh frame, and held the Giants scoreless until the eighth. Hancock got on the board first with a pair of runs in the second before notching one run each in the third, fifth, and sixth innings. 

Owen Bolich led the way with three RBIs while Gavin Long had a perfect 3-for-3 showing at the plate with two doubles. Bridger Coleman, who also drove in two runs, and Ricky Smith each registered one shot over the fence.

Cooper Bagby picked up his first win of the season after five innings on the rubber. The Ernest Righetti High School alum retired three batters and scattered five hits without surrendering a run.  

GAME TWO: COS 7, AHC 6 | BOX SCORE

Hancock looked solid at the start of game two after posting four runs through the first three frames. Sequoias managed to bookend a two-run inning for the home crew with a pair of runs in both the fifth and seventh frames before completing the comeback attempt with a three-run effort in the ninth. 

Stephen Espinoza led the way on Saturday with a pair of RBIs after registering a triple to center in the sixth, while Bolich recorded his first homer of the season with a shot over the right field fence in the second frame. 

Mason Robertson earned the start but did not factor into the final decision. He struck out nine batters and surrendered two earned runs on two hits after five innings of work. Nick Brown was charged with the loss after allowing two earned runs and four hits through 3.1 innings of work.