Rustlers take Cypress to town

Golden West reached the 10 run mark for the first time this season in a 10-2 rout of Cypress at Hoover Field.

Scoring was present for Golden West (15-17, 6-11) at the very beginning and the very end. Jordan Lucio started it all in the first inning driving in Russell Terry with a 1-out RBI single. Andrew Yazdanbakhsh would score from third base later in the inning via a wild pitch. Terry came up in the second inning and produced the Rustlers' third run driving in Kyle Stahl with 2 outs.

Scoring ceased from there and it was made possible with a fantastic outing by starting pitcher Mitchell Moore. Moore pitched 7.2 innings allowing 7 hits and 4 strike outs. Golden West's defense was on point today and helped Moore get out of some tight spots, including a bases-loaded, 1-out jam in the seventh inning.

Once the bottom of the eighth inning came around, Golden West caught fire and never seemed to cool down. The Rustlers lit up Cypress's (18-12, 9-8) bullpen for 7 runs and hit around the order one-and-a-half times. With 1 out and the bases loaded, Stahl knocked in Lucio with a single. After Stahl was picked off first base, James Stea ripped a 2-RBI single to score Daniel Romo and Keegan Reeser. Michael Farris came up right after and smacked a double to score Stea. With the bases loaded, Lucio drove a single to score Farris and Terry. Romo laced single that scored Yazdanbakhsh for the final run in the inning. Cypress used 5 pitchers in an inning that seemed to last a lifetime.

Relief pitcher Garrett Gibson took over for Moore in the eighth inning and stuck around in the ninth to earn his first save of the season. The Chargers did score 2 runs in the ninth inning, but the Rustlers were able to hold on for a sweet 8 run victory.

Golden West will be playing at Hoover Field 2 more times this season. Friday, April 11 will feature Santa Ana, and on April 24, the Rustlers will end the season against rival Orange Coast.