Rustlers Fall to Saddleback in OEC Battle, 8-5

Huntington Beach, Calif. — The Golden West College Rustlers couldn't capitalize on an early offensive push and dropped an 8–5 decision to visiting Saddleback College in Orange Empire Conference play on Thursday afternoon.

The loss moves Golden West to 18-15 overall and 6-8 in OEC action, while Saddleback improves to 21-12 and evens their conference record at 7-7.

Golden West struck early, matching the Bobcats run-for-run through the first three innings behind a sacrifice fly from Bryan Martinez in the first, another sac fly by Jonny Rodriguez in the second, and Martinez's solo home run in the third to tie the game at 3-3.

However, the Rustlers' offense went quiet after that, held scoreless for five straight innings by Saddleback reliever Kamden Cisneros (W, 2-3), who struck out eight over 5.1 strong innings.

Saddleback chipped away steadily, reclaiming the lead in the fifth with RBI singles from James Derflinger and Andreas Nilsen, pushing ahead 5-3. The Bobcats then took advantage of miscues and wild pitches from the Golden West bullpen, scoring insurance runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.

Golden West starter David Ladjevic (L, 3-2) took the loss, surrendering five runs on seven hits over five innings. Reliever Jake Ferretti allowed three more runs — only two earned — over the final four frames.

Rodriguez capped off his day with an RBI double in the ninth and Kevin Villegas added a sac fly, but the late push fell short.

Despite the loss, Golden West out-hit Saddleback 10-9, with Cole Belfanti and Zack Burrow both collecting two hits apiece. The Rustlers' defense, however, struggled with three costly errors, which contributed to Saddleback's late surge.

The Rustlers will look to bounce back in the final game of the series as they continue to battle for playoff positioning in the highly competitive Orange Empire Conference.