VISALIA – Freshman Joey Loubert tossed eight innings, scattering 11 hits while allowing two earned runs to help lead Taft College to an 8-4 win at College of the Sequoias on Saturday to cap a three-game Central Valley Conference series. This came two days after the Cougars beat COS 12-9 in Game 2 on Thursday at home.
Taft rebounded from a Game 1 loss to take two from the Giants and capture its second conference series victory of the season. The Cougars improved to 4-6 in Central Valley Conference play and are 8-13 overall.
On Saturday, Loubert pitched his way out of multiple jams and was able to limit the damage in going eight innings. He gave up a pair of unearned runs in the eighth before Austin Hogan took over in the ninth to close out the victory. Loubert struck out five and walked none while Hogan struck out two of four batters he faced.
The Cougars' offense jumped on COS starter Riley Creech to score two runs in the top of the first and two more in the third. A four-run, fourth-inning blew the game open as TC got RBI doubles from Sean Ogrin and Blake Logan and run-scoring singles from Tyren Dorrance and Tanner Phillips.
Taft totaled 10 hits in the contest, including two each from Jordan Phillips (2 for 5, 2 2B, run), Ogrin (2 for 4, 2 runs, 2B, RBI), and Nate Gutierrez (2 for 4, run). Dorrance (1 for 4, 2 runs) and Logan 1 for 4, run) both drove in two runs.
On Thursday, the Cougars had to hold off a late Sequoias rally to secure the win in Game 2. With TC leading 10-1, COS scored eight runs over the final three innings, including four in the top of the ninth.
The Cougars attacked Giants starting pitcher Jake Tye, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first to chase him from the game without recording an out. Ogrin set the tone with a two-run home run to give Taft a 2-1 advantage.
Taft added two runs in the second, another run in the third, and two more in the fifth to jump out to the big lead. The Cougars totaled 14 hits with Nate Gutierrez going a perfect 3 for 3 with 3 RBI to lead the charge.
Ogrin (1 for 2, HR, 3 runs), Bill Bonner (1 for 2, run), and Dorrance (2 for 3, 2 runs) had 2 RBI each.
Chris Chaffer picked up the win after striking out seven over seven strong innings. He allowed two earned runs and six hits. Rush Monsen recorded the final out with the bases loaded in the ninth to pick up the save.
Taft is back in action at home on Tuesday (Mar. 16) when it begins another three-game CVC series with Fresno City College. Game 2 is Thursday at 3 p.m. in Fresno with the finale back at Taft on Saturday at 2 p.m.