Gauchos top Jags for big week

The Saddleback baseball team won a game for the third straight day with a 5-2 victory at Southwestern College on Thursday in Chula Vista.  The win improves the Gauchos to 11-3.

Saddleback's win on Thursday also marked the third straight time the Gaucho pitching staff has allowed 2-or-less runs, and the fourth time in the past five outings.  After an inconsistent start to the season, the Gaucho pitching staff has lowered its team ERA by 1.5 points over the past five outings and now stands at 4.57 for the year.  Saddleback pitchers are 14th in the state in strikeouts, averaging 9.21 K's every nine innings.  

Curren Larson worked the first six innings before handing the ball over to Connor Wilford, who pitched the final three innings.  Larson gave up two earned runs, both of which came on a home run from Jake Borst in the bottom half of the third inning to tie the game at 2-2.  Larson struck out five Jaguar hitters in improving to 3-0 on the season. 

Wilford was solid the rest of the way and received some help from the defense in picking up his first save of the year.  The defense turned a double play in the seventh after the opening batter singled, thus breaking up any threat of a comeback after Saddleback took a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning. 

Saddleback took a 2-0 lead in the top half of the third inning, taking advantage of some miscues in the field from the Southwestern defense.  Tyler Declusin led off the inning by reaching base on an error from Jesse Chacon at second base.  The Gauchos quickly went to work with Declusin stealing second base to put the go-ahead runner in scoring position.  Saddleback delivered as Danilo Tiotuico singled home Declusin for an early lead.  Later in the inning, Carson Matthews advanced to second base on a throwing error and was quickly batted around on a single from Izaiah Faz.

The game was tied 2-2 heading into the sixth inning when Saddleback struck for three runs in taking a 5-2 lead.  The Gauchos had four hits in the inning, with Dylan Smith, Declusin, Tiotuico and Faz all touching up the Jaguar pitching staff.  The big blow was from Faz, who singled home Tiotuico and Declusin with two outs and the bases loaded.    It was the third hit of the day for Faz, who finished 3-for-5 with three RBI.  Tiotuico was also 3-for-5 on Thursday, and now has eight hits over the past three games.

Saddleback (11-3) has the weekend off before hosting San Diego Mesa College next Tuesday at 2:00 PM.