COS Baseball Secure Series Sweep Behind Balanced Effort with 6-3 Win
PORTERVILLE, Calif. – College of the Sequoias used an early offensive burst and steady pitching to secure a 6-3 road win over Porterville College on Saturday afternoon, completing the series win and continuing its strong push in Central Valley Conference play.
The Giants wasted no time getting on the board, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Solomon Anderson delivered a two-RBI single to bring home Walker Selley (Bermuda) and Kadyn Kirkley (Hanford HS), and Caleb Catalano (San Francisco) followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
Porterville answered with two runs in the second to cut into the deficit, but Sequoias held firm behind its pitching staff and defense. The Giants regained momentum in the sixth when Joshua Barajas (Central East HS) doubled to left field to score Aiden Medina (Hoover HS), pushing the lead to 4-2.
After Porterville added a run in the seventh, COS responded again in the eighth. Catalano delivered his second RBI hit of the game with a single to left, and the Giants added another run on a passed ball to extend the lead to 6-3.
Sequoias finished with 13 hits on the day, led by Selley, who went 3-for-5, and Barajas, who also collected three hits and drove in a run. Anderson and Catalano each added two RBIs to pace the offense.
On the mound, Gage Hastin (Mission Oak HS) got the start and allowed two runs over four innings while striking out four. Jordan Ver Steeg (Mt. Whitney HS) provided 2.2 innings of solid relief, allowing just one unearned run, and Zachery Tackett (Kingsburg HS) and Chance Jasso (Redwood HS) combined to close out the final 2.1 innings.
"We came out with good energy and set the tone early," Head Coach Scott Laird said. "Offensively, we put together quality at-bats, and our pitchers did a great job keeping them in check after that second inning."
On Deck
College of the Sequoias will hit the road for a three-game series at Santa Rosa Junior College beginning Wednesday, April 1 at 3:00 p.m., followed by games on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. and Friday at 12:00 p.m. The Giants will then return home on Tuesday, April 7 to host Merced at 2:00 p.m.
