Owls Drop Series Opener at LA Mission

Newly ranked No. 13 in the state, Citrus College Baseball suffered a 5-3 loss at Los Angeles Mission College in game one of the three-game conference series on Tuesday, March 31. The Owls move to 19-10 overall and 6-4 in conference play.

The Owls jumped ahead in the opening inning when Jordan Daniels launched a solo home run, his team-leading fifth of the season, to give Citrus an early 1-0 lead.

LA Mission responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs to take a 2-1 advantage, before adding another run in the third on a passed ball to extend the lead to 3-1.

The Owls battled back in the fifth. Cam Casado delivered a two-run home run to left field, tying Daniels for his team-leading fifth of the season, and scoring Daniels to even the game at 3-3.

However, LA Mission regained the lead in the sixth. A defensive error allowed a runner to score, and the inning continued with an RBI double to push the hosts ahead 5-3.

Casado led Citrus at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, while Daniels finished 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI. Derek Almeda added a 2-for-4 performance with a walk, and Nick Velazquez and Dominic Torrez each chipped in a hit.

Michael Moses (0-1) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits over 5.1 innings with two strikeouts. Matthew Martinez followed with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing one hit with two strikeouts.

Citrus totaled seven hits but left 10 runners on base in the loss.

The Owls will host LA Mission for game two on Thursday, April 2, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.