Owls’ Ninth-Inning Surge Not Enough in 11-9 Loss to Glendale

No. 14 Citrus College Baseball fell 11-9 at No. 21 Glendale College in game one of the three-game conference-opening series with the Vaqueros. The loss drops the Owls to 11-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while Glendale improves to 11-5 and 1-0 in the WSC-South.

Citrus struck first in the opening inning when Cam Casado drove in Julian Hines with a sacrifice groundout for a 1-0 lead. The Owls added another run in the third as Casado delivered an RBI single to score Azael Hernandez and make it 2-0. Glendale responded with three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead, but Citrus evened the score in the fourth when Hernandez lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Garrett Patterson, knotting the game at 3-3.

The Owls regained the lead in the fifth inning on an RBI single from Jackson Gray, making it 4-3. Glendale answered with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to build a 6-4 advantage. The game broke open in the seventh as the Vaqueros plated five runs to extend their lead to 11-4. Citrus mounted a late rally in the ninth: Cole West was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run, Joe Gilkeson followed with a sacrifice fly, Gray added an RBI single, and Derek Almeda delivered a two-run single to pull the Owls within 11-9. Despite the surge, Citrus fell short as Glendale held on for the win.

Almeda led Citrus at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Gray finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, while Casado drove in two runs and collected two hits. Hines and Jordan Daniels each scored twice, with Daniels adding two hits and a stolen base. West reached base twice, drove in a run, and stole a base.

On the mound, Tim Hudson started and worked 4.0 innings, allowing five runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Ryan Harrison tossed 1.2 innings in relief, giving up one run while striking out one. Beau Lloyd (L, 0-1) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs in one inning. Gabe Buranasiri surrendered one run, and Evan Ellis closed the game with 1.1 scoreless innings and one strikeout.

The series now shifts to Citrus College, where the Owls will host Glendale for game two on Thursday, March 5, at 2 p.m.