PASADENA—The cracks of the Orange County Riptide bats echoed across Jackie Robinson Field in Pasadena Tuesday night, as they defeated the Arroyo Seco Saints 6-5 in a back-and-forth dogfight.
The scoring kicked off early, with outfielder Jarret Sabol smashing a two-run double off the right field wall in the top of the first following a walk by Alex Dolan and a single from Justin Tillar.
In the bottom half of the second, Saints DH Wyatt Toth squared-up a ball of his own, blasting a solo home run off the right-center netting.
Later in the inning, Saints centerfielder Blake Mitchell scored for second as a result of a wild pitch, tying the game 2-2.
Despite a walk, single and passed ball putting Saints in scoring position, Riptide starting pitcher Tommy McGuire escaped the jam with the score still locked at two.
In the top of the fourth, Riptide catcher Shawn Romero hammered a dead-center two-run shot, breaking the tie and giving Orange County a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Riptide right-hander Zachary DenDekker continued the trend of leaving two Saints in scoring position, this time aided by a slick play from shortstop Travis Curry to end the inning.
When the Saints came back to bat in the fifth, a wild pitch and an infield single brought in two runs, tying the game at four before Jarret Sabol made an inning-ending diving catch in right field.
After a scoreless sixth and seventh inning, Riptide DH Cooper Clouser came to the plate in the eighth with a runner in scoring position in what would prove to be the biggest spot of the night.
The moment failed to phase the Michigan commit, who laced a single up the middle to give the Riptide a 5-4 lead.
“It’s huge,” Clouser said when asked what it means to be able to produce in a high-pressure situation. “I’ve been not performing to my best for a little bit, but this is a great group of guys and I’m just doing my part.”
After cashing in an insurance run on a wild pitch, Orange County led 6-4 entering the bottom of the ninth with the team looking to left-hander Chris Canavan to hammer the nail in the coffin.
Despite the Saints cutting their deficit to one and threatening to tie the game, Canavan did just that, inducing a weak pop up to the right side of the infield for the game’s final out and sealing the 6-5 victory.
The Riptide, now 4-1, turn their attention to their Wednesday night matchup against the San Diego Bombers at Great Park.
First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
Contributed by: Jake Zamora
