Late Rally Overpowers West LA in Offensive Explosion
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 | 1 |
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0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 | X | 19 | 18 | 0 |
Huntington Beach, Calif. – The Golden West College Rustlers erupted for 17 runs in the final four innings to surge past the visiting West LA College Cougars, securing a commanding 19-10 victory at home. The Rustlers improved to 8-4 on the season, while the Cougars dropped to 2-8.
West LA jumped out to an early lead, plating four runs in the first inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Lucas Salcedo and a steal of home. The Cougars extended their advantage to 5-0 in the second on an RBI fielder's choice by Ozzie Otterbein.
Golden West responded in the bottom of the second when Matt Fox launched a two-run homer to left-center, cutting the deficit to 5-2. West LA tacked on single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, building a 7-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
That's when the Rustlers' offense exploded. Landon Runyan ignited the rally with a two-run homer to right, followed by an RBI single from EJ Barnes. Jonny Rodriguez tied the game with a two-run single through the right side. A bases-loaded walk to Dennis Fitzpatrick gave Golden West its first lead, and the Rustlers capitalized on a wild pitch to extend the advantage. Runyan capped off the nine-run inning with a two-run double, putting Golden West ahead 11-7.
West LA fought back with three runs in the seventh, including a two-run homer from Hunter Backstrom, to close the gap to 11-10. However, Golden West responded immediately with two runs in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of a Fitzpatrick walk and a hit-by-pitch RBI from Runyan.
The Rustlers put the game out of reach in the eighth, piling on six more runs. Barnes delivered a two-run single, followed by an RBI single from Cole Belfanti. A bases-loaded walk and a two-run double from Zack Burrow sealed the dominant performance.
Golden West's offensive standouts:
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Landon Runyan (4-for-5, 6 RBI, HR, 2B)
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EJ Barnes (2-for-5, 3 RBI)
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Matt Fox (1-for-3, 2 RBI, HR)
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Dennis Fitzpatrick (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 BB)
Jake Rice (2-0) earned the win in relief, throwing 3.1 innings while allowing four runs. Braden Wellen shut the door with two scoreless innings, striking out four.
Golden West finished with 18 hits and took full advantage of eight walks and a hit batter. West LA's Michael Hernandez (5.2 IP, 9 ER) took the loss, while reliever Vandross Callahan was unable to stop the Rustlers' sixth-inning onslaught.