TAFT – Freshman Izzy Halton had a game he'll likely remember forever.
The second baseman out of Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield smashed three home runs as part of a perfect 5 for 5 day at the plate with 4 RBI to lead Taft College in a 10-5 win over visiting Porterville College on Saturday.
The victory secured a three-game Central Valley Conference sweep of the Pirates after the Cougars took the opener 10-0 on Tuesday and rallied to win in Porterville by a final score of 5-3 on Thursday.
Taft powered up to hit five homers in Saturday's victory, including three in the bottom of the first inning. Jordan Phillips led off the frame with a solo shot, which was followed by the first of three on the day from Halton. Tyler Vanneste smacked a triple and came in to score on Sean Ogrin's two-run home run.
Halton came through with an RBI double in his next at bat in the second inning and the Cougars rallied for three runs in third to extend their lead to 8-1.
Porterville scored a run in the fifth but Halton got it back plus one with consecutive solo home runs in the fifth and seventh innings. With TC up 10-2, Porterville rallied for three runs in the eighth but would get no closer.
Joey Loubert earned the win after allowing two runs (one earned) and four hits over five innings. Theo Grutas, Jackson Irving, Casey Henderson, and Austin Hogan pitched well out of the bullpen with scoreless innings to help secure the victory.
On Thursday, Chris Shaffer went seven strong innings in the start, allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out seven in the Cougars' 5-3 victory.
Nate Gutierrez and Ogrin both drove in two runs. Gutierrez' sacrifice fly with one out in the top of the seventh inning brought home Jordan Phillips for the go-ahead run. Ogrin followed with a two-out, RBI single to score Jesus Cruz with an insurance run.
Taft opened the series with a big 10-0 win at home on Tuesday. Blake Logan tossed six shutout innings while Grutas, Henderson, and Jakab Terpstra closed it out with scoreless innings.
Vanneste had put together a big game offensively, going 2 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBI. His two-run shot in the fourth extended Taft's lead to 6-0.
Phillips went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI while Halton (1 for 4) also drove in a pair.
Taft, winners of five straight, improved to 13-15 overall and 9-8 in Central Valley Conference play. The Cougars are back in action on Saturday (Apr. 9) when they travel to Stockton for a 3 p.m. non-conference game at San Joaquin Delta College.