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Santa Ana Upends Top-Ranked SAC City, 11-8
SANTA ANA, CA - Ben Linn's two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 5-5 tie as fifth-ranked Santa Ana College upended top-ranked Sacramento City College, 11-8, in the first of three games between the two teams. The Dons (8-0) scored three times in the seventh and added three more in the eighth to take a 11-5 lead before the Panthers, the preseason favorite of the Collegiate Baseball newspaper to win the 2005 California Community College state baseball title, rallied for three runs of their own in the top of the ninth.
Anthony Slama (2-0) picked up the win in relief of Santa Ana starter Daniel Arizmendi who recorded a no decision. Slama gave up seven hits and three runs over 3.2 innings while striking out two and walking one to pick up his second win of the season. Elliott Tyson notched his third save of the year by retiring Tyler Warmerdam, the only batter he faced, on a pop up to end the game. Arizmendi pitched the first five inning for the Dons giving up five runs (four earned) on 10 hits. He struck out eight and walked just two.
Both offenses showed no ill-effects from the rain that has hit California in the past week as Santa Ana and Sacramento City combined for 10 runs and 19 hits in the first five innings. The Dons scored one run in the first, one in the second, two in the third and one in the four while the Panthers tallied two runs in the second, two in the third and one in the fifth before Linn's tie-breaking hit in the seventh.
Linn, who finished 2 for 4 with two RBI, singled in Rick Taloa and C.J. Rice to give the Dons the lead for good at 7-5. Matt Morris made it 8-5 with an infield single to shortstop, his third hit of the day.
Santa Ana continued to rough up Sacramento City relief pitcher Jason Roach in the eighth by scoring three more times. Sophomore catcher Jacob Vasquez provided the big blow with a three-run home run to right center to cap the Dons' scoring and make it a 11-5 game.
Roach, who fell to 2-1 with the loss, took over for Panthers' starter Andrew Carpenter to begin the seventh and gave up six earned runs on six hits in just one inning of work. Carpenter, meanwhile, gave up earned runs of his own on nine hits over six innings while striking out six and walking none. Four of the runs he gave up came off of home runs by Santa Ana 's Jimmy Waninger, C. J. Rice and Michael Forman.
Forman, who was 3 for 4 with two RBI, was one of three Dons to collect three hits in the win the others being Rick Taloa (3 for 5) and Morris (3 for 4).
Sacramento City had three players of its own finish with three hits in Chais Fuller (3 for 5, 3 runs), Clayton Shank (3 for 4, 2 RBI) and Tyler Warmerdam (3 for 5, 1 RBI).
Santa Ana (8-0) and Sacramento City (5-2) will play the second game of their three-game set on Friday, February 25 at 2 p.m. before concluding the series on Saturday, February 26 at noon.
Next: vs Sacramento City College, Friday, February 25, 2 p.m.
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