San Luis Obispo, Calif. – In the second game of the series against the San Luis Obispo Blues, the OC Riptide pulled off a critical win, defeating the Blues 4-2. The showdown took place at Sinshiemer Park, and each team took away one win from the matchup, with the Blues claiming the first win in a high-scoring game, 13-8.
Striking First
The Riptide laid claim to the first run of the game and didn’t hesitate, scoring one in the first inning. Connor McGuire (CBU) brought home the first run with an RBI single, scoring Reese Chapman (Tennessee).
The Blues were a little slower with scoring, but they put up two runs in the fourth inning. Those would be the only runs the Riptide would give up to the Blues. This is a welcome contrast from their previous game where they gave up 13 runs.
Defensively, the Riptide had a very strong start with Josh Randall (USD) on the mound. Randall threw for six innings and struck out six batters. Randall has been a force to be reckoned with on the mound this season, and he was one of the two pitchers from the OC Riptide selected to play at the CCL Showcase Game. This season he’s accumulated 39 strikeouts, with the six additional Ks he threw against the Blues.
In the sixth inning, Grady Morgan (Fresno State) took matters into his own hands, tieing the game, 2-2, with a solo home run.
T6 | MORGAN (@FresnoStateBSB) ties up the game in STYLE with a solo HOMER 💣💯🔥😤
Score 2-2 #OCRiptideBaseball #OCRiptideFamily #CCLBaseball #CCL30years pic.twitter.com/hJDyG554iH
— OC Riptide Baseball (@ocriptide) July 20, 2023
An inning later in the seventh, Reese Chapman (Tennessee) hit the go-ahead RBI, scoring Carter Garate (Oregon) on a single. Going into the bottom half of the seventh, Connor Kinney (Tufts) took the mound and held it down for two innings.
Reese Chapman (Tennessee) scored another run to secure the lead with a fielder’s choice, which scored Bryce Blaser (UNC) from third base.
Nolan George (UNLV) closed on the mound for the Riptide in a stellar 1-2-3 bottom half of the 9th.
Up Next
The OC Riptide travel to take on the Santa Barbara Foresters on July 21st, at 6:00 p.m. at Pershing Park.