How Sweep It Is
The Providence Christian College baseball team has been knocking on the door all season long, against virtually every opponent. There have been multiple games where they were a few outs away from winning but haven't been able to close the door on teams. That was until this past weekend in their series versus Westcliff University.
Game one on Friday April 15th was a tight battle, with the score tied 2-2 through the 6th inning. Aiden Delgado was on the mound through the first six innings and struck out eight batters and gave up six hits and two runs. Tucker Panarisi (SO/Santa Clarita, CA) got the Sea Beggars on the board in the first inning scoring off a hit and run by Cameron Martin (JR/Fairfield, CA) and advancing Joey Forslund (FR/Las Vegas, NV) to third. Eddie Lopez (JR/Highland Park, CA) followed up with a sacrifice bunt to drive in Forslund. The 2-2 score remained unchanged until the Sea Beggars found themselves down 4-2 in the eighth inning, and drove in another run off an RBI single by Jesus Rodarte (JR/Oxnard, CA), bringing home Martin. Down 4-3 going into the ninth inning, Martin came up clutch with a single through the left side, scoring Alex Carrillo (FR/Salt Lake City, UT) and bringing the score even again. Sammy Meadows (JR/Fairfield, CA) entered the game in the bottom of the ninth, relieving Brennan Morales (SR/Hemet, CA), and held the Warriors scoreless. The Sea Beggars came to life in the 10th inning, scoring five runs off five hits, and left two runners stranded on base. Rodarte singled through the left side and drove in Andrew Brown (SO/Fresno, CA) and Dylan Irwin (FR/Monroe, OR). Forslund had an RBI single bringing in Rodarte, and Martin singled to right field scoring Michael Sanchez (FR/Rancho Cucamonga, CA). The final run came by way of a bases loaded walk by Eddie Lopez. Cody Conkle (FR/Leander, TX) entered in the 10th replacing Meadows and gave up no hits and struck out two batters. When asked about his performance, Cameron Martin said, "The series against Westcliff was a lot of fun to be a part of. I think we finally showed how good our team truly is when we're firing on all cylinders. I think those wins will give us some good momentum into the last two weeks of the season."
Game one of the double header on Saturday April 16th was reminiscent of the night before. Both teams had one run on the board through the third inning and both had four through the ninth, and extra innings were required to determine a winner. The Sea Beggar bats again came to life in the 10th inning with the score tied 4-4. Lee Atkinson Jr (JR/Adelanto, CA). ripped a double down the left field line and drove in three runs to put the Beggars on top. Atkinson was able to advance to third base off a Phillip Reynoso single, and then was brought home off an Evan Friessen sacrifice to first base. The Sea Beggars had four runs, two hits and stranded one runner in the 10th inning to preserve the win. Trent Friesen (JR/La Mirada, CA) pitched a solid six innings, striking out five, walking four, and only giving up two hits. Brennan Morales pitched one and a third innings, striking out two, walking one, and giving up one hit and one run. Cody Conkle pitched the final two and two third innings, striking out two batters, walking one, and only giving up one hit.
The final game of the series was an all-around solid performance by Providence. The Sea Beggar bats were hot, and the defense played stellar, only requiring seven innings to complete the sweep. Mario Ruiz (JR/West Covina, CA) had a strong game from the mound, pitching all seven innings, striking out six batters, and only allowed two hits and one walk. Cameron Martin went three for three in the game with four RBI's and scored three runs. Joey Forslund went two for three, scored three runs and was walked once. Lee Atkinson Jr. went two for four and had three RBI's. When asked about the series, Head Coach Cody Walter said, "From inning 1 to 27 the guys competed all weekend. Pitching, defense and offense all lined up this weekend. It was a group effort all weekend. It was great seeing guys come off the bench and out of the bullpen have success." Mario Ruiz added, "This past series was a great set of games where it was all about focus. We were down early in game one, and we kept pushing through to come from behind and win in extra innings! That first win helped us carry some momentum into the next couple of games and it definitely showed that we don't give up and we're not going to back down. I'm just excited to end the season on a strong note with a group of guys I enjoy being around!"
The Sea Beggars hit the road again this week and make the long trek up to Simpson University in Redding, CA. Catch the Simpson livestream as the Beggars try to continue the momentum towards the final stretch of conference play. The final series of the season will be at home versus La Sierra, so find a time to come cheer on your Sea Beggars.