Baseball Wins Once at Clash of the Canyons

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - The Allan Hancock College baseball team won once and lost twice while dealing with a series of schedule shuffles in the three-day trip to compete at Clash of the Canyons. The event was originally scheduled to take place from Thursday-Saturday but was adjusted to a two-day affair after rain postponed all games on day one. 

Colin Johnston led the Bulldogs on the weekend with a .417 batting average and a team-best of four RBIs with one double and one home run through three games played. Owen Bolich was also solid at the plate, going 5-for-10 on the weekend while Andrew Sandoval and Richie Robles drove in three runs apiece. 

The Bulldogs will be back in action at home on Tuesday, February 11th, at 2 PM against College of the Sequoias. 

GAME ONE: COC 7, AHC 6 | BOX SCORE

Hancock fell in game one to the hosting Cougars, 7-6, after a location change due to field conditions forced a neutral-site matchup. Canyons broke through early with a four-run second inning, taking advantage of timely hitting and defensive miscues from Allan Hancock. The Bulldogs' offense kept them in the game, responding in the third, fourth, and sixth innings with runs to keep the pressure on COC. However, a two-run sixth inning from the Cougars, highlighted by a clutch two-run double, gave them enough cushion to hold on for the win. AHC had a chance to tie things up in the top of the ninth but left two runners stranded when the third out was recorded.

Josue Garcia was a standout in the box after going 4-for-5 with a triple and one RBI. Bolich and Robles also chipped in with a pair of crucial doubles and drove in one run each. 

Jaiden Turner tossed five innings, allowing zero earned runs on six hits, after earning the start. Evan Fonseca took the loss in relief after surrendering two earned runs on three hits through two frames. Gage Mattis closed out the contest with one strike out and one walk en route to a no-decision appearance. 

GAME TWO: CRC 8, AHC 1 | BOX SCORE

Cosumnes River cruised to an 8-1 victory in game two after the Bulldogs struggled to find an offensive groove. The Hawks set the tone early, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding another in the third to establish a 3-0 lead. While Allan Hancock's offense struggled to find a rhythm, CRC capitalized on scoring opportunities late in the game, including a four-run eighth inning that put the contest out of reach.

Bolich spoiled the no-hitter in the fourth inning with a single while Isaac Imamura picked up the only other AHC hit in the game after a fifth-inning single. J. Garcia was credited with the team's lone RBI after a bases-loaded hit by pitch. 

Liam Taft took the loss, allowing 3 earned runs over 5 innings with 3 strikeouts.

GAME THREE: AHC 16, CRC 3 | BOX SCORE

The Bulldogs bounced back in the final game of the weekend with a dominating offensive effort after racking up 15 hits and exploding for a nine-run sixth inning to put the game away. Cosumnes River grabbed a one-run lead in the third, but Hancock responded with two tallies of their own in the bottom of the frame. AHC added five more runs across the next two frames before registering a nine-run outburst, which featured two homers and multiple extra-base hits, in the sixth. 

Johnston powered Coach Stevens' offense with a 3-for-6 showing which featured his second home run of the season, a double, and three RBIs. Cesar Garcia also notched his second homer of the season while Imamura went 3-for-4 in the box. 

Raffael Chiarella collected the win after allowing one earned run on three hits with as many strikeouts through five innings.