Jake Pearson went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI while Andres Rolon drove in a pair of runs and scored three times to lead the surging Taft College Cougars to a 12-3 win at West Hills College Coalinga to close out a three-game sweep of a Central Valley Conference series.
Taft has won nine straight games and has moved into a first-place tie with College of the Sequoias in the CVC standings at 10-2 and is 17-10 overall. Over that nine game stretch, the Cougars have scored 10+ runs five times and have outscored their opponents 104-42.
On Saturday, Taft totaled 13 hits with just five going for extra bases. But the Cougars took full advantage of nine walks, four hit by pitches, and a pair of West Hills errors for the rout.
The game got out of hand early as Taft put up eight runs in the top of the first inning off Falcons' starting pitcher Oscar Topete. In the epic frame, the Cougars sent 13 batters to the plate. Pearson singled twice in the first, driving in two runs in each plate appearance.
Rolon went 2-for-2 with a double while James McCallum, Wes Herbert, and Zach Jones all had 1 RBI each.
Michael Barker picked up the win in a short four-inning start. He improved to 4-2 after allowing two runs and four hits. Barker struck out six and walked three. Luis DeLeon, Kaidin Conrad, and Greyson Barrett all tossed scoreless innings to close out the victory.