Christian Wilson's single in the bottom of the 11th inning brought home R.J. Munoz with the game-winning run to lift Taft College to its first win of the season, a walk-off victory over visiting Reedley College on Tuesday.
Down 3-2, Taft rallied to tie up the ball game thanks to an RBI single by Luis DeLeon that scored Blake Logan in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Headed into extra innings, the Cougars' bullpen did its part to keep them in the game. Genta Yamazaki (1/3 inning), Logan (2 inn.), and Jackson Van Roekel (1 inn.) were all nearly perfect in their relief outings. Logan faced the most resistance, allowing just a hit and a walk.
To start the 11th, the teams elected to place a runner on second base. Munoz quickly moved to third base on a wild pitch and promptly came in on Wilson's base hit.
Jordan Eldred put together another impressive start for TC. Despite allowing 10 hits, he dodged trouble except for a three-run, sixth-inning by Reedley. He struck out eight batters over 7 2/3 innings in the no decision.
Taft jumped out ahead early, scoring single runs in the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Munoz hit an RBI single to bring home Chris Ortega while a two-out Reedley error allowed Andres Garza to score. Munoz (2 for 5) and Wilson (2 for 5) both had a pair of hits and an RBI to lead Taft at the plate.
TC moved to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in Central Valley Conference play while Reedley fell to 5-2 and 3-2 in the CVC. The two teams return to action on Wednesday (April 21) to finish off the two-game conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Reedley.