Rustlers Rally Late to Defeat Panthers

Huntington Beach, Calif. — Golden West College used a four-run eighth inning to complete a comeback victory over visiting Chaffey College, winning 9-6 in a non-conference showdown at Hoover Field. The Rustlers improved to 16-9 overall, while the Panthers dropped to 16-7-1.

Chaffey jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the first inning on an RBI single from Eric Valdivia. They extended their advantage to 6-1 by the fourth, highlighted by a two-run homer from Ryder Young and a wild pitch that allowed Derek Almeda to score.

Golden West answered with a two-run third inning, capitalizing on a defensive error that brought Bryan Martinez home. The Rustlers continued chipping away at the deficit, as Dennis Fitzpatrick crushed a solo home run in the fifth, followed by an RBI single from Kevin Villegas to cut the Chaffey lead to 6-5.

The Rustlers' bullpen held strong, with Jake Ferretti tossing three shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out one. Garrett McGuigan (1-0) picked up the win after pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth, fanning three batters.

Trailing 6-5 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Rustlers' offense erupted. Fitzpatrick tied the game with an RBI single, plating Jonny Rodriguez. Moments later, Cole Belfanti lined a clutch RBI single to score Landon Runyan, giving Golden West its first lead of the game at 7-6.

Isaac Ocampo capped off the rally with a two-run pinch hit single, extending the lead to 9-6 and securing the victory.

Chaffey's Joe O'Regan (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs in the eighth inning.