The Trojan Baseball squad stayed red hot this weekend as they took five games from Miles Community College at Central Park. The Trojans are in first place in the region and are currently ranked #17 in the NJCAA national polls.
The first game of the weekend was controlled by Trojan left-hander Dave Gauthier. The sophomore pitcher went all seven innings, striking out seven and allowing only three hits. He also picked up a pair of hits and an RBI in the contest. The final score ended up 8-2 in favor of TSJC. Game two on Friday saw the Pioneers take the lead and hold it for most of the contest. Miles CC was up 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth when the Trojans would cut the lead. Conrado Diaz started the inning off with a solo shot over the fence and then Gauthier would score on a Reese Patterson single to right. It remained 4-3 in favor of Miles heading into the bottom of the seventh. Blake Mattey singled to start the inning and scored on a Patterson fly to right. Ethan Castro would then get a pinch-hit single to bring in the winning run. Vance Ferraro picked up the win in relief.
The energy carried into the first game on Saturday as the Trojans roared to a 15-0 victory in five innings. Alex Bedard and Carlo Mancillas would each pick up three RBI's in the contest. Eli Sievert went the distance to pick up his sixth win of the season, striking out five in the process. Game four of the series started with the Pioneers taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Trojans would pound away and go on to win 9-5. Devin Castro got the win on the hill, striking out seven. The win was the 25th in a row for the Trojans at Central Park dating back over a year since their last home loss.
Sadly, the winning streak would end on Sunday morning as the Pioneers outlasted the Trojans for a 10-4 win. In the final game of the series the drama would ramp up as the severe cold weather moved in. With the game tied at 4-4, Bedard would thrill the Trojan crowd with a towering three-run home run over the left field fence. Miles would tie it up however as the Trojan made a series of errors in the top of the seventh inning. In the bottom half of the inning Chris Villarreal led off with a single. TSJC moved him around to third, where he would be brought home on a Mason Campbell single to center. The final score was 8-7. Niko Guzman picked up the win in relief.
The Trojans are now 23-5 overall and 11-1 in Region IX play. They will take to the road for the next couple of weeks for games with Western Nebraska, Lamar and McCook. The Trojans will return home on April 7 for a game with Western Nebraska starting at 4pm.