IRVINE, Calif. — Behind a dominant start from Michael Erspamer and an explosive offensive showing, the OC Riptide rolled past the Conejo Oaks 14–3 at Great Park.
Starter Michael Erspamer (Stanford) set the tone early with a fantastic outing, allowing just one run on two hits, while striking out six across four solid innings. After allowing a first-inning sac-fly, Erspamer retired nine of the next ten batters he faced. “The changeup was working”, Erspamer said postgame when crediting the pitch that led to his success on the mound.
The Riptide quickly responded with a solid string of at-bats, starting off with a Zach Crandall (University of California, Irvine) double down the third base line to spark the offense in the bottom of the first. Camden Sos (TCU) followed up with an infield single, allowing Carter Danz (Northwestern) to drive them both in with a double off the wall.
Bradley Navarro (Utah)
Photo courtesy of : jgraymedia
From there, the Riptide poured it on. Jonathan Rodriguez (UNLV) tripled down the left field line, scoring one run. Bradley Navarro (Utah) singled, extending the lead to 4-1. In the fifth, OC opened the flood gates, scoring five more runs fueled by an error, a hit-by-pitch, a sac-fly, and a Navarro two-run double.
Once again, the Riptide kept piling on runs, capitalizing on a mix of small ball and power hitting. Sos reached on a swinging bunt, followed by walks from Danz and Jack Salmon (University of Hawaii). Rodriguez smashed a double off the wall, driving in two runs. Reid Montgomery (California State University, Long Beach) proceeded to drive in a run with a single to right field. A hit-by-pitch, wild pitch, and back-to-back walks added two more, bringing the lead to 14–1. “This is a huge step moving forward for us, to understand that we’re a really good team.” Coach Ramos stated while reflecting on a big win against a fierce team in the Conjeo Oaks.
In the top of the eighth, Noah Smith (California Baptist University) took the mound and recorded a strikeout before giving up two hits and a walk to load the bases. The Oaks scored on a sac fly, followed by an infield single that added another. Smith bounced back with a strikeout, marking the Riptide’s 15th of the night as the Oaks cut the deficit to 14–3.
The Riptide take on the San Luis Obispo Blues on Saturday at 7 pm at Great Park.
