Owls Break Through Late, Defeat LA Mission 14-7 in Game Two

No. 13-ranked Citrus College Baseball defeated Los Angeles Mission College 14-7 on Thursday, April 2 in game two of the three-game conference series. The win moves the Owls to 20-10 overall and 7-4 in conference play.

The Owls used a dominant late-game rally to pull away, tallying 14 runs on 14 hits and breaking open a close contest with a seven-run eighth inning.

Citrus got on the board first in the bottom of the first when Derek Almeda scored on a wild pitch, but LA Mission answered with three runs in the second to take a 3-1 lead.

Citrus evened the score in the fourth inning. Beau Lloyd drove in a run with a single, and another run came home on a double play to tie the game at 3-3.

The Owls grabbed the lead in the fifth inning and did not relinquish it. Jackson Gray delivered an RBI single, and Lloyd followed with a two-run double to give Citrus a 6-3 advantage.

After LA Mission trimmed the lead to 6-4 in the sixth, Citrus added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Lloyd to make it 7-4.

Leading 7-5 entering the eighth, Citrus broke the game open. Royce Mendoza started the rally with an RBI single, Gray added a two-run double, and Lloyd recorded his season-high fifth RBI on a sacrifice fly. Lance Armijo capped the inning with a bases-clearing double as the Owls scored seven runs in the frame to extend the lead to 14-5.

Gray finished 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs, while Lloyd drove in a game-high five runs. Armijo added three RBIs, and Mendoza scored twice and drove in a run. At the top of the order, Cole West went 3-for-6 with two runs and a triple, while Almeda added two hits and two runs. Nick Velazquez reached base five times with four walks and scored twice.

On the mound, Conner Luetto (4-1) earned the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits over six innings while striking out six. Julian Hines tossed two innings of relief, allowing one run, and Evan Ellis closed out the game, giving up two unearned runs in the ninth.

LA Mission added two runs in the final inning, but Citrus secured the 14-7 victory.

The Owls and Eagles will meet for the rubber match in game three at LA Mission on Friday, April 3 at 2 p.m.