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Taloa's Grand Slam Propels Santa Ana To 7-1 Win
SANTA ANA, CA - Rick Taloa's seventh-inning grand slam on the first pitch from Saddleback College relief pitcher Armando Carrasco broke a 1-1 tie and kept Santa Ana College (24-4-1, 11-4-1 OEC) in first place in the Orange Empire Conference with the 7-1 win, Thursday. The Dons remained one game ahead of Orange Coast College (19-13-1, 10-5-1 OEC) in the OEC standings as the Pirates rallied to beat Irvine Valley College, 12-11.
Taloa, who now leads the team with
15 home runs and 42 RBI, was 2 for 4 at the plate with four RBI, while Corey Skaggs finished 3 for 5 with two RBI for the Dons. Skaggs' two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth gave Santa Ana a 7-1 lead.
Daniel Arizmendi (6-1) gave up just one earned run on five hits over eight innings to pick up his fourth consecutive win. Arizmendi, who worked out of bases load situations, in both the first and fourth innings, struckout six and walked three to improve to 5-0 in OEC action. The Gauchos stranded nine base runners against the Dons' lefthander. Anthony Slama gave up one hit and struck out one to close out the game.
Saddleback (20-9, 8-8 OEC) scored its only run in the first when Arizmendi hit Scotty McKnight to lead off the game and loaded the bases with back-to-back hits from Ben Lasater and Kyle Walton. Stephen Kohatsu gave the Gauchos a 1-0 lead with his sacrifice fly to right field that scored McKnight. Arizmendi stranded Lasater at second and Walton at first when he struck out Joey Hamon and Montana Dye to end the inning. Santa Ana tied the game in the sixth when Jacob Vasquez doubled to led off the inning, moved to second on Taloa's single and scored on Mike Forman's two-out, pinch-hit single to left field. The Dons used three hits including Taloa's grand slam and a Saddleback error to score four times in the seventh.
Laster (2 for 4) and Walton
(2 for 5) led the Gauchos with two hits apiece.
On Deck: Santa Ana College (24-7-1, 11-4-1 OEC) at Saddleback College (20-9, 8-8 OEC), Saturday, April 23, noon. Season series tied, 1-1.
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