IRVINE, Calif. — With two on and no outs, first baseman Alonso Reyes stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 11th with the score tied at three. Reyes fell behind 0-2 before quickly battling back to a 3-2 count – in which he then delivered.
Reyes lined a single through the right side, bringing home Nathaniel Pone and giving the Orange County Riptide a 4-3 walk-off victory over the San Diego Bombers on Friday night at Great Park.
“Those first two swings were pretty bad,” Reyes said. “I had to fight, see it deep and I got a heater. [I’m] a little too aggressive in those moments. I kind’ve just reset a bit.”
Designated hitter Cooper Clouser got the 11th inning rally started with an RBI single, sending home second baseman Dennis Fitzpatrick, who was the automatic runner to begin the inning.
The Riptide also had to rally in the 10th after giving up a run in the top of the inning.
In the bottom of the tenth, pinch hitter Jarret Sabol jumped on the first pitch he saw and crushed it into right center, delivering the equalizer, driving in right fielder and the automatic runner Tomas Cernius.
After being shutout for seven innings, Orange County finally found the spark they needed. Third baseman Slater Nunez led off the inning with a hit by pitch, then Fitzpatrick drove him in after reaching safely off an error that trickled into the outfield.
One of the many bright spots for Orange County was the pitching staff.
Starting pitcher Erik Rodriguez tossed four innings with five strikeouts, while only allowing one hit, one run, and two walks. Right handed pitcher Julian Hines followed, carried the momentum over and pitched three scoreless frames, while punching out three.
The Riptide, now 19-10, will remain at home and play the Academy Barons on Saturday, July 11.
First pitch is scheduled at 7 p.m.
