Owls Earn Extra-Inning Win, Split Series with No. 3 Renegades

No. 19 in the state ranked Citrus College Baseball split a two-game home series with No. 3 ranked Ohlone College, with the Owls winning 9-8 in 13 innings on Friday, February 20, before falling 4-2 in game two on Saturday, February 21. After the series with the Renegades, the Owls now stand at 9-4 overall.

In Friday's opener, the Owls earned a hard-fought 9-8 extra-innings win after clawing back in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game after trailing 8-6. Citrus struck first in the opening inning when Cam Casado drove in Derek Almeda on a groundout, then an error allowed Julian Hines to score for a 2-0 lead. Ohlone answered with a run in the third on an RBI triple and took the lead in the fourth with an RBI single and a sacrifice bunt to make it 3-2. The Owls regained the advantage in the fifth when Casado ripped a two-RBI double to right, scoring Hines and Matt Kaneshiro for a 4-3 lead. Ohlone tied it in the seventh on a solo homer and then pushed ahead 6-4 in the eighth, scoring once on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and again on a Citrus error. Citrus rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Jordan Daniels doubled home Cole West and Beau Lloyd to even the score at 6-6. Ohlone reclaimed the lead in the ninth on a two-run single, but Citrus answered again in its half of the frame. West reached on an error that allowed Casado to score, and Daniels followed with a clutch RBI single to plate Lloyd and knot the game at 8-8.

The game remained deadlocked until the 13th inning, when Nick Velazquez crossed the plate on a wild pitch with West at second, giving Citrus the walk-off 9-8 win. The Owls were led by Casado, who went 3-for-7 with three RBIs and three doubles. Hines added a 2-for-5 performance with two runs scored and two walks, while West finished 3-for-6 with a run and an RBI. Daniels contributed two hits and three RBIs, and Dominic Torrez also recorded two hits. Kaneshiro doubled and scored, Almeda went 1-for-7 with a double and a run, Jackson Gray added a double among his hit, and Garrett Patterson chipped in a hit.

Citrus used six pitchers to secure the 13-inning win, combining for 13 strikeouts while allowing 11 hits and eight runs (seven earned). Starter Conner Luetto went 6.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while striking out nine. Gabe Buranasiri followed and allowed two runs (one earned) in two-thirds of an inning, and Sean York surrendered two runs in another two-thirds. Ryan Harrison steadied things with 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two, while Evan Ellis worked two-thirds of an inning without allowing a run despite issuing two walks. Matthew Martinez (W, 1-0) earned the win with three shutout innings, allowing no hits and striking out one to close out the victory.

In game two Saturday, the Renegades took a 4-2 win. Citrus opened the scoring in the third inning when Torrez crossed the plate on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. Ohlone answered in the fifth with an RBI double to tie the game, but Citrus responded in the bottom half as Kaneshiro lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that brought home Joe Gilkeson and restored a 2-1 advantage. The game remained tight until the eighth, when Ohlone rallied. An RBI single tied the score at 2-2, and a two-run single later in the inning provided the difference as the Owls fell 4-2.

Citrus was limited to four hits in game two, with Kaneshiro leading the way by going 1-for-2 with an RBI, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. Almeda added a double and finished 1-for-3 with a walk, while West and Gilkeson each contributed a hit, with Gilkeson also scoring one of the Owls' two runs. Torrez scored once and added a stolen base, matching Kaneshiro, who also swiped a bag. As a team, Citrus drew four walks but struck out nine times and left seven runners on base. Azael Hernandez and Torrez each recorded sacrifice bunts to help move runners into scoring position. Michael Moses delivered a strong start for Citrus, tossing seven innings and allowing just one run on seven hits while striking out five without issuing a walk.

Up next, Citrus will travel to face No. 17 ranked Cypress College on Tuesday, February 24 at 1:30 p.m.