Compton, Calif. – After losing their last game to the MLB Academy Barons, the OC Riptide defeated them in style, winning 12-1.
The Riptide took an early lead in the 2nd inning. Patrick Hackworth (UCSD) advanced home in a series of pass balls after he shot a line drive single up the middle. On an RBI sac-fly from Blake Penso (UCI), Hackworth scored the 1st run of the game for the Riptide. That would be their lone run in the inning.
The Barons tied it up in the 3rd inning 1-1, with a sac-fly that brought the runner on 3rd base, home.
Sam Hasegawa (UCSD) took to the mound after Josh Randall‘s (USD) spectacular five innings, in the 6th, and sat down the Barons in order to start his outing.
Following the 3rd inning, the game became a defensive battle, remaining scoreless until the 8th inning. Defensively, the Riptide strung together a series of great plays to keep the Barons at bay.
RALLY IN THE 8TH:
On the attack, the Riptide rallied in to grasp the lead. Blake Penso (UCI) shot a ball to right, dropped by the right fielder, and allowed Nolan Funke (New Mexico State) to score. Nathan Cadena (San Jose State) took his turn with an RBI single, scoring Patrick Hackworth (UCSD) and Blake Penso (UCI). Isaiah Morales (Saddleback) advanced to 1st on a walk, and Connor McGuire (CBU) singled to get on. Nick Upstill (Pepperdine) took control to settle the lead with a 2-run homerun over the right field wall. With the Barons’ pitcher feeling the pressure, he hit Colby Canales (Creighton) and Nolan Funke (New Mexico State). Patrick Hackworth (UCSD) drove a line drive up the middle, scoring Colby Canales (Creighton) from 2nd. In his 2nd at-bat of the inning, Blake Penso (UCI) cranked one to deep center, for a 3-run homer scoring Nolan Funke (New Mexico State) and Patrick Hackworth (UCSD). About his homerun, Blake Penso (UCI) said, “I felt like I was on time and then with two strikes, I just put a good barrel on it,” and he definitely did.
T8 | PENSO IS HIM🔥‼️A 3 RUN shot to dead center !!😤👊 SCORE 12-1 RIPTIDE🌊#OCRiptideBaseball #OCRiptideFamily #CCLBaseball #CCL30years pic.twitter.com/Jx7DVpXhXk
— OC Riptide Baseball (@ocriptide) July 7, 2023
The Riptide will play the Arroyo Secco Saints on July 7th at 6:05 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Field.