Charger Lead Barely Holds to Stay Perfect in Conference
Garrett earned the save Thursday afternoon. |
March 5, 2009
Final Stats
Cypress, Calif. - A struggling Golden West squad visited Cypress in their first matchup this season. The Chargers took a big lead and just barely held on defeating the Rustlers 9-8. Freshman pitcher Travis Garrett struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth to earn the save.
Sophomore first baseman Jonathan Hurst started it off for Cypress producing a single to center and getting all the way to third off a passed ball and wild pitch. He then scored off a long sacrifice fly by sophomore designated hitter Stephen Kaupang giving Cypress the 1-0 lead.
Cypress added one in the second. Freshman shortstop Johnathan Morales reached on a walk and then hit third off a single and an error off the bat of freshman third baseman Dimitri DeLaFuente. Freshman second baseman Mike Barnhill then hit an RBI sacrifice bunt to score Morales.
GWC put up a solo homerun and then another run off of a single and some errors to catch Cypress in a 2-2 tie after three-and-a-half. Cypress got right back on top in the bottom of the fourth. DeLaFuente and Barnhill walked followed by a single by sophomore right fielder Christian Ramirez to load the bases. Hurst took advantage with a stand-up double scoring two followed by a sacrifice fly and error by Kaupang for two more. Sophomore catcher Parker Berberet kept it going with a double and then came all the way in off an error giving Cypress a 7-2 lead.
Meanwhile, freshman pitcher Gabriel Garcia did his job stranding three Rustlers on in the top of the fifth. Cypress kept it up in the fifth. DeLaFuente, Ramirez, and Hurst loaded the bases off a single and two walks. Kaupang drove in his third RBI of the day with a single to center to score DeLaFuente. Ramirez then slid in to score off a shallow sacrifice fly by Berberet.
The Rustlers made a big dent in the seventh belting a three-run homerun to cut the Charger lead to four. Cypress began to struggle defensively in the eighth allowing three unearned runs as the Rustlers closed to within one.
After a scoreless eighth for Cypress, it came down to the Charger defense in the ninth. Garrett struck out the side swinging to maintain the lead and the win for Cypress. Garcia earned the win pitching the first five innings allowing just one earned run and striking out six. Garcia improves to 3-2.
Cypress improves to 14-5 and 4-0 in conference and has just a day off before hosting Fullerton Saturday. Fullerton is 6-12 and 1-3 in conference coming off of a 13-1 loss to Saddleback. Cypress takes on the Hornets for the first time this season Saturday at noon at Cypress.
