The 2021 season opener finally arrived for the Taft College baseball team on Saturday as the Cougars traveled to Cerro Coso College in Ridgeview. TC appeared to be on its way to the win after a three-run, seventh-inning but the Cougars couldn't hold a late lead and fell by a final score of 5-4.
Freshman Chris Ortega's two-run home run in the top of the seventh capped the Taft rally and put the Cougars ahead 4-3.
Taft held that lead all the way until the bottom of the ninth until Cerro Coso strung together three singles and a double. Jaxon Holzem's one-out single scored Ezrah Ponce to give the Coyotes the walk-off win.
Taft totaled nine hits in the contest and got a solo home run from freshman Julian DeLeon in the third to put TC on the board. Freshman Jackson Van Roekel's sacrifice fly brought in sophomore Damien Holmes to open the Cougars' scoring in the seventh. Holmes went 2 for 3 at the plate to lead TC.
Freshman Jordan Eldred got the start for Taft and allowed 2 runs and 3 hits over 3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Taft will look to bounce back in its home opener on Tuesday (April 13) when the Cougars host College of the Sequoias in the opening game of a two-game Central Valley Conference series. The two teams face off again on Wednesday (April 14) in Visalia. Both games are scheduled for 2 p.m. starts.