Glendora, CA – In a commanding performance at home, Citrus College showcased its offensive firepower with a dominant 19-4 victory over Victor Valley on Tuesday. The Owls capitalized on errors and timely hitting to secure their first win of the season in front of a small but engaged crowd at Citrus College Stadium.
Citrus wasted no time setting the tone, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. A miscue on a pickoff attempt allowed Nathan Hellein to advance to third, setting up an RBI single by Dustin Yela to put the Owls on the board. A double-play groundout later in the inning scored Yela, making it 2-0.
The second inning saw Citrus break the game open. A string of hits, capped off by a three-run homer from Hellein, ballooned the lead to 6-0. A groundout RBI from Jordan Quintero and an error by Victor Valley’s second baseman allowed two more runs to cross, giving Citrus an 8-0 cushion.
Victor Valley managed to respond in the third inning, taking advantage of Citrus defensive miscues. Isaac Jimenez doubled to drive in a run, and another error allowed a second run to score. However, Citrus countered immediately with a two-run double from Yela in the bottom half, extending the lead to 10-2.
The Rams added a run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Riley Tulacro, but their offensive production was too sporadic to mount a serious threat. Citrus continued to pile on with a Willison RBI double in the fifth, a run-scoring single from Derek Leader in the sixth, and a string of productive outs in the later innings to pad their advantage.
The seventh and eighth innings were the final nail in the coffin for Victor Valley, as Citrus put up a combined seven runs to ensure there was no comeback in sight. Leader’s two-run double in the eighth pushed the score to 19-3 before Victor Valley added a consolation run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Omar Rosas.
Citrus’ pitching staff was solid throughout the game, limiting Victor Valley to just seven hits while striking out 13. Eddie Rocha got the start, pitching three innings without allowing an earned run. Isaac Gonzales earned the win, tossing four innings of one-run ball, while Matthew Martinez and Alek Gavaghan closed out the game effectively.
Offensively, Citrus was led by Hellein (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI), Yela (3-for-4, 3 RBI), and Leader (4-for-5, 4 RBI). Luke Willison also had a strong showing, collecting four hits, including three doubles.
For Victor Valley, Jimenez and Conti provided the only extra-base hits, while the team struggled defensively, committing five errors that led to several unearned runs.
Citrus (1-0) will look to build on their strong performance as they prepare for their next matchup, while Victor Valley (0-1) will aim to tighten up their defense and find consistency at the plate in their upcoming games.
With an explosive offensive showing and solid pitching, Citrus College has sent an early message to the competition—this team is ready to compete.
