Citrus Bounces Back with 14-7 Win After Road Setback at No. 5 Palomar

No. 22 ranked Citrus College Baseball split its two games, falling to No. 5 ranked Palomar College 5-0 on the road on Saturday, March 21 before bouncing back with a 14-7 win over College of the Canyons at home on Tuesday, March 24 in game one of a three-game conference series. The Owls move to 17-9 overall and 4-3 in conference play.

In Saturday's loss at Palomar, the Comets broke through with a five-run fourth inning, using a two-run single, a bases-loaded walk and a two-run double to account for all the scoring. Julian Hines led Citrus at the plate, going 2-for-3, while Matt Kaneshiro and Lance Armijo each added a hit. The Owls drew three walks but left five runners on base, with Dominic Torrez recording the team's lone stolen base.

On the mound, Citrus limited Palomar to six hits but issued seven walks. Starter Michael Moses tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Matthew Martinez and Garrett Patterson combined for four scoreless innings in relief, and Gabe Buranasiri added a scoreless frame to close.

The Owls responded in Tuesday's conference opener, putting up 14 runs on 15 hits in a win over Canyons. After trading runs early, Citrus took control with a five-run third inning, highlighted by Garrett Patterson's bases-clearing double that made it 7-2.

Canyons cut the deficit to 7-5 in the fourth, but Citrus answered with two runs in the fifth and continued to add on with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Cole West and Derek Almeda each delivered RBI doubles in the seventh, and Jackson Gray added an RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring.

Patterson finished with three RBIs and two doubles, while Hines went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Almeda, Jordan Daniels and Cam Casado each recorded multi-hit games as Citrus also totaled 10 stolen bases, tying thier season-high.

Michael Moses (W, 4-2) earned the win, allowing five runs on eight hits over five innings with four strikeouts. Sean York gave up two runs in one inning, while Julian Hines followed with two scoreless innings and Gabe Buranasiri closed with a scoreless ninth.

Citrus will travel to College of the Canyons for game two of the series, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.