TAFT, CA – During game one on Tuesday, February 7, hosted in Lancaster, CA, it was exactly what the Taft College Baseball Team had hoped for. Kaleb Hay got the ball for game one of the two game series, and he did what he normally does. Hay went 7 innings giving up 5 runs, but only 2 earned to go along with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk. The Cougar offense also got off to a sizzling start, scoring 3 runs in 2 innings of play. Scoring halted for a couple of innings before Antelope Valley College got one across in the fifth to make the score 3-1. However, the Cougars responded with 4 runs in the top of the sixth to make the lead 7-1. Again, in the seventh, the Cougar offense exploded driving across 3 more runs to take a commanding 10-1 lead. AVC pushed back in the bottom half of the seventh scoring 4 runs of their own, making the game 10-5. The remainder of the game remained at a stalemate, except for a Cougar run in the ninth, as Eric Godinez and Jacob Canuel came in and shut the door.
The second game of the series in Taft on March 1 did not go quite as well for the Cougars. AVC came out to play and scored 2 runs in both the top of the first and second. Unresponsive, the Cougar offense struggled in the game, getting shut down for essentially the entirety of the game. After a much needed 0 run top of the third inning, a Yadriel Reyes single scored one in the bottom of the third, sparking the Cougars with some life. This life was short lived as AVC hit a grand slam to extend their lead to 8-1. Runs kept pouring in for AVC scoring 1 in the fifth, 5 in the seventh, and 2 in the ninth for a total of 16 runs. The Cougars could not match AVC, scoring a mere 3 runs in the game for a final game score of 16-3 in favor of AVC.
Jackson Berry had an exceptional series, going 4-9 with a double and 4 RBIs. What also was exceptional was the retirement of Cougar alum Allan Simpson. Former colleagues, friends, and fans were at the field to hear some of the accomplishments spoken by President Brock McMurray. Taft College and Major League Baseball standout Allan Simpson also was on hand to speak of his jersey retirement honor and his gratitude during his time as a Cougar.
The Cougars move to 7-7 after the series with their next game to resume conference play on Tuesday, March 5 facing off against Merced College at home.