ELAC Baseball Team Beats No. 20 Citrus College 10-3
GLENDORA, CA. — The East Los Angeles College baseball team played its first ranked team of the season and its fourth straight road game and handed Citrus College its first loss 10-3.
The Huskies improve to 4-0 and have outscored their non-conference opponents 34-9. The Owls (2-1) are ranked No. 20 in the CCCBCA Preseason South Region Poll.
ELAC opened with a three-run first inning off one hit and duplicated that in the second.
In the first, freshman short stop Grant Victor (St. Francis High School) was walked. Two Huskies then reached first on errors, freshman center fielder Troy Maki (Mark Keppel HS) on an error by the Citrus third baseman and sophomore right fielder Elias Maldonado (Northview HS) off an error by the Citrus short stop and ELAC led 1-0.
The errors were sandwiched with two Husky stolen bases, Maki to second and Victor to third. Sophomore third baseman Joaquin Castillo’s (Warren HS) sacrifice fly scored Maki, unearned. Freshman first baseman Bryan Duenas (Warren HS) singled and ELAC led 3-0.
The Huskies scored three runs in the second off of three walks, a single from Maldonado, a stolen base by Victor and freshman second baseman Andy Rodriguez (Walnut HS) was hit by a pitch.
ELAC scored two runs in the top of the fifth with no hits. The inning began with Duenas hit by a pitch. After an out, freshman catcher Gabriel Jimenez (Roosevelt HS) walked. A balk advanced the runners to second and third. A wild pitch scored an unearned run. Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly scored ELAC’s eighth run.
Two Husky hits in each of the sixth and seventh scored a run in each inning.
Zechariah ‘Zech’ Jarrard (Temple City HS) was the winning pitcher and improves to 2-0. He struck out six in seven innings and held Citrus to three scattered hits and two homeruns. Freshman pitcher Josh Jorgensen (Lakewood HS) pitched the final two innings for the Huskies. He gave up two walks and retired the side in the ninth.
The Huskies hammered eight hits, two each from Castillo (2 RBIs) and Duenas (2 RBI). Victor doubled and had an RBI. Three Huskies each singled.
Maldonado singled and brought home three RBIs. He has nine RBIs in four games, third best in the state and has a batting average of .385. Rodriguez also singled (RBI) as did Jarrard.
ELAC hosts No. 11 Glendale Community College (2-0) tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Follow ELAC Athletics at http://athletics.elac.edu/landing/index or on Facebook at ELAC Huskies Athletics (@elachuskiesathletics).
story submitted by Tadzio Garcia