COD Baseball splits day-night doubleheader, wins in walk-off in nightcap

COD (1-4) snagged their first win of 2019, as the team wrapped up the evening on the back end of a day-night double header with a walk-off win over the Fullerton Hornets (2-2), 4-3.

The Roadrunners began Friday with a rescheduled match-up against the always difficult, Cypress Chargers (4-1). The game, originally scheduled to take place on Thursday night, had to be moved due to copious amounts of rain that deluged the Coachella Valley. Friday morning brought sunshine and cold temps, but no rain.

Cypress would jump out to a two run lead in the top of the second and then add a run in the top of third, taking a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth. The Roadrunners would add a run in the bottom of the fourth on a ground out to third by freshman designated hitter Nelson Sanchez (Indio Shadow Hills) scoring freshman second baseman Riley McDonald (Murrieta Mesa), cutting into the Chargers lead, 3-1.

The Chargers added two more runs in the top of the fifth and Desert would get one run back in the bottom half of the inning, holding the Cypress lead at 5-2. Neither team would score in the final four innings, as the Chargers took the 10 a.m. contest, 5-2.

Freshman third baseman Michael Macias (Rancho Mirage H.S.) led the way for the Roadrunners, going 3 for 4 on the day out of the nine hole in the lineup.

In the evening contest, the Roadrunners faced off with the Fullerton Hornets, where the visitors grabbed a run in the first and a run in the third, putting Desert in a 2-0 deficit, but the Roadrunners would snag a run back. In the bottom of the third, as freshman catcher Joseph Perez (Buckeye (AZ) Union) crossed the plate on a single by sophomore center fielder Izayah Alvarez (Palm Desert H.S.) and a fielding error by the Hornets, halving the score 2-1.

Desert would tie the score in the bottom of the sixth, as freshman right fielder Noah Ponce (Riverside Hillcrest) scored on an error by the Fullerton right fielder, tying the game at 2-2.

The Hornets would take the lead in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly, giving Fullerton a 3-2 lead.

Then Desert would wrap up the contest in a dramatic walk off bases clearing double to left by sophomore third baseman Nathaniel Lopez (Palm Desert H.S.), the Roadrunners rushed Lopez standing at second base in their first victory of 2019.

Lopez commented, "Final at bat, I wasn't looking to do too much, first pitch got a curveball and second pitch got a fastball right down the middle, I was just trying to put some good contact on it and luckily I did." Lopez later stated, "That little slide there at the end by Mike Macias got us a little going a little bit, but I'm glad everything worked out alright."

Freshman right handed starting pitcher Keven Yanez (Moreno Valley Canyon Springs) tossed six complete, allowing two runs, none earned, on three hits, striking out three and walking three in his longest outing of the season. "I just went out there just try to keep our team in the game as long as possible and we did that and we won," commented Yanez. "A lot of times, like a lot of times they had runners in scoring positions and I just toughed it down and got a strike out."

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information & Story provided by COD Sports Information. Photo by Michael Leone Photography (f8leone@yahoo.com).