CYPRESS, CA- Charger baseball (19-6, 7-3 OEC) gave the Riverside Tigers (21-4, 8-0 OEC) their first conference loss on Friday afternoon, 9-6.
In 2022, Cypress suffered a season sweep and were eliminated in the Second Round of the CCCAA playoffs at the hands of Riverside. After the high scoring tight game on Tuesday, the Chargers and Tigers met for a second intense faceoff.
In the first inning, Aaron Perez sliced a line drive down the left field line for the first run of the game. The Chargers bats exploded in the bottom of the second as they tallied six runs. Luke Honikel started the rally when he laced the ball into the right center alley for an RBI double. A wild pitch from the Tigers pitcher allowed Tanner Gerosa to touch home.
With two outs and runner on second, Dean Toigo rocketed a ball over the leaping glove of the first baseman for an RBI double. Perez followed with the two-out hitting and launched a home run to center. One pitch later, Isaac Rodriguez knocked the starter out of the game with a dead-center solo blast for back-to-back homers for the home team.
In the third, a bad bounce gave way for the Tigers to score their first run. An inning later, Riverside hit a home run in the fourth to tack on two more runs. Multiple Chargers errors in the frame allowed the Tigers to score five. Cypress responded as they profited from a Tigers error to acquire a run in the bottom of the fifth.
The offenses for both sides went quiet until the eighth inning. The Chargers took advantage of their final opportunity as they tacked on one additional insurance run. Albert De La Rosa hit a moonshot over the tall left field wall to put a stamp at the end of the game. Cypress went on to win 9-6 to give the Tigers their first conference defeat.
Perez had a successful day at the plate with a multi-hit day, home run and three RBIs. Rodriguez went 2-4 with when he left the ballpark for his RBI and run scored. De La Rosa came in to score three times and his key eighth inning solo home run sealed the game for Cypress. Connor Wylde delivered the first 3.1 innings and Josh Landry pitched the final 5.2 frames with three strikeouts. With the win, Cypress grew closer in the standings to the Tigers as they are now two games out of first place.
UP NEXT: Cypress will meet the Tigers in Riverside Saturday, April 1st for the rubber match. First pitch 1pm.
Stay connected with the Chargers through social media. Follow Cypress College Athletics on Twitter @CypressChargers. Check in with the Chargers on Facebook/CypressChargers and on Instagram @CypressChargers.
