Owls' Offense Shines in 2-1 Series Win Over Bakersfield

No. 23-ranked Citrus Baseball closed out their three-game series with Bakersfield College with a 17-4 home win in game two before falling 8-2 in game three at Bakersfield, ultimately winning the series 2-1.

In Thursday, March 12's 17-4 home victory, the Owls put up 17 runs, hitting three home runs to secure the conference win.

Citrus struck early and often, scoring six runs in the first inning. Cam Casado drove in the first run on a fielder's choice, followed by RBIs from Nick Velazquez and a two-run single from Jackson Gray. A wild pitch and Garrett Patterson's RBI groundout pushed the Owls' lead to 6-1 after one inning. Casado added a sacrifice fly in the second to score Derek Almeda, keeping the momentum rolling.

The Owls added two more runs in the fourth, including a solo home run from Jordan Daniels, giving Citrus a 9-1 advantage. Matt Kaneshiro scored in the fifth to extend the lead to 10-1, while Joe Gilkeson's two-RBI homer in the seventh made it 12-2. Citrus capped the scoring in the eighth with a hit-by-pitch RBI from Kaneshiro and a towering four-RBI home run from Beau Lloyd, finishing with 17 runs.

Derek Almeda went 2-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Casado was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a sac fly. Daniels finished 2-for-3 with a home run, an RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Gray went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run, while Gilkeson added 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, a run, and a stolen base. Kaneshiro finished 1-for-1 with a run and an RBI, plus a stolen base, and Lloyd's pinch-hit grand slam, his third home run of the season, highlighted the Owls' power at the plate. Velazquez contributed a run and an RBI, Patterson drove in a run, Cole West went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Julian Hines added a run. Citrus totaled 14 hits, eight walks, five stolen bases, and three home runs.

On the mound, Conner Luetto (W, 2-1) earned the win, tossing six innings of two-run ball with nine strikeouts and allowing just four hits. Sean York followed with two innings, giving up two runs while striking out four, and Evan Ellis closed with a scoreless inning, striking out one. The pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts while limiting Bakersfield to six hits over nine innings.

In the series finale at Bakersfield, the Owls fell 8-2 despite nine hits and contributions from several players.

Citrus scored first when Casado reached on an error to drive in West for an unearned run. Bakersfield tied the game at 1-1, then took control with a three-run third inning, including a solo home run, and added two more runs later in the frame to make it 5-1. The Owls got on the board in the fourth when Joe Gilkeson doubled to left field to score Velazquez, but Bakersfield added runs in the sixth and seventh on extra-base hits to seal the 8-2 victory.

Citrus totaled nine hits, including doubles from West and Gilkeson. Almeda and Velazquez each had multiple hits, while Casado and Gilkeson drove in a run apiece. The Owls left nine runners on base and were caught stealing once, limiting their scoring chances.

On the mound, Michael Moses (L, 3-2) allowed five runs on 11 hits over four innings, striking out one and walking one. Matthew Martinez pitched a scoreless inning, Christian Eaton gave up three runs on four hits with three strikeouts over two innings, and Julian Hines closed with one scoreless inning, striking out one.

Citrus will now face Mt. San Antonio College for a two-game non-conference series, with game one at Mt. SAC on Tuesday, March 17, at 2 p.m., and game two at Citrus on Thursday, March 19, at 2 p.m.