IRVINE, Calif.—Hot bats and steady pitching propelled the Riptide to an 8-2 win over the Conejo Oaks Friday night at Great Park, supported by a stellar performance from left fielder Reid Montgomery.
The Oaks jumped on starting pitcher Sammy Cova early, loading the bases and scoring a run in the bottom of the first before the lefty escaped further damage.
The bottom of the third started with a bang as Montgomery doubled off the wall. Leadoff man Trajan Rogowski then drew a walk before a Conner Barth fielder’s choice put Montgomery in scoring position. First baseman Justin Tillar followed with a single up the middle to score Montgomery and tie the game at one.
Grindlinger replaced Cova in the fifth and allowed a run after a would-be third out bounced off his glove. The miscue allowed Oak shortstop Zach Nagy to score from second.
In the bottom half, Rogowski walked, advanced to second on a Jarett Sabol groundout, then stole third. Barth and Tillar each walked to load the bases before right fielder Tatum Marsh singled on a sharply-hit one-hopper that Oak third baseman Matthew Witkow couldn’t convert into an out. Rogowski reached base five times, walked three times and scored three runs on the night.
“I think I’ve always had a pretty good eye and pretty good plate discipline. I was looking for a specific pitch that I could hit hard – I didn’t get it,” Rogowski said. “I get on base – use my speed to my advantage and do whatever it takes to help my team win.”
Dennis Fitzpatrick drew a four-pitch walk to open the sixth. Montgomery then tripled over the center fielder’s head to score Fitzpatrick, with Rogowski reaching on an error to score Montgomery and extend the lead to 4-2. A slip-and-fall in right field later allowed a routine flyball to drop, bringing home Rogowski for another insurance run.
In the seventh, Fitzpatrick’s groundout to short plated the Riptide’s sixth run. Travis Curry later scored alongside Noah Neufeld on a Montgomery double, his third extra-base hit of the night.
“Going left-on-left, backside double – I think that’s when I know my swing’s in a good spot,” Montgomery said. “Three good swings, three good results.”
Right-hander Dillon Orr took care of business in the seventh and eighth innings, with Jackson Pace shutting the door in the ninth and securing the 8-2 victory.
The Riptide will face the Oaks again tomorrow in Ventura.
First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.
