College Baseball:
Riddle me this: What are the odds of winning a college baseball game when your opponent scores 11 runs in the first three innings, and they have a 19-12 advantage in base hits?
It’s right up there with a politician taking accountability for failed policies.
However, if you’re Chaffey College, it wasn’t too big of a hill to climb.
The Panthers not only secured a 14-13 victory over second place Desert.
Andrew Smith’s boys also earned their third consecutive Inland Empire Athletic Conference championship.
The game featured 27 combined runs, 31 hits, five errors and 11 pitchers.
Chaffey had a 6-2 advantage in extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs.
Sixteen players got at least one base hit on Thursday in Rancho Cucamonga.
Connor Luetto got the win after going five innings and allowing just an unearned run on seven hits.
Luetto didn’t issue a walk and registered six strikeouts.
Joe O’Regan earned the save by getting the final out via strikeout.
Connor Martin went 4-for-6 with a triple and four runs scored.
Ben Wade walked, tripled and drove in three.
Isaac Rodrigues went 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs and a pair of RBIs.
Michael Gonzalez walked, singled twice and scored.
Victor Esquivel-Perez had a pair of singles and an RBI.
Cristian Angulo went 2-for-5 with a walk, two runs and four RBIs.
Jayvin Baxa walked, singled twice, scored and drove in one.
Juan Alvarez went 2-for-6 with two runs and an RBI.
Chaffey scored off five of Desert’s six pitchers.
Colin Plain got the loss, allowing two runs on one hit and three walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Ryder Young went 3-for-6 with a double, RBI single and solo HR.
Ryan Melton walked, doubled, scored twice and drove in four.
Derek Almeda went 3-for-5 with a walk, two doubles, a pair of runs and two RBIs.
Jayden Sanchez drew a pair of walks, singled twice, scored three runs and drove in one.
AJ Hurtado drew a pair of walks, scored twice and hit a two-run HR.
Jaden St. Cyr drew three walks, singled and scored three times.
Jordan Daniel went 1-for-2 with two walks, a run and one RBI.
Up next: The Panthers host Cerro Coso on Tuesday at 2:30 in an IEAC contest.
Quotable:
Chaffey coach, Andrew Smith: “This team has shown tremendous resilience and fight all year. No matter the game/situation, these guys have played with confidence and belief in one another. This is a special reward for their hard work and dedication since September, and I couldn’t be prouder to be their coach.”
Box Score:
D: 6-3-2-0-0-0-1-0-1-(13)
C: 2-2-5-3-0-1-1-0-X-(14)
Win: Connor Luetto
Loss: Colin Plain
Save: Joe O’Regan
HR: Ryder Young (C), AJ Hurtado (C)
3B: Connor Martin (D), Ben Wade (D)
2B: Derek Almeda (C) 2, Ryan Melton (C), Ryder Young (C)
Records: Desert (22-14, 15-7); Chaffey (28-8-1, 18-4)
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