Huntington Beach, Calif. – Golden West (15-11, 5-8) defeated Saddleback (15-10, 5-8), 7-1, to create distance between the teams in the Orange Empire conference standings.

James Stea (3-for-4) and Dillon Persinger (3-for-5) had three hits apiece, while Kyle Stahl (2-for-5) knocked in two runs. The Rustlers outhit the Gauchos 16-10 as all nine Golden West starters hit safely.

Starting pitcher Ryan Kayoda improved to 4-1 on the season after tossing seven innings that saw him allow one run on four hits with five strikeouts.

Trailing 1-0 through three and a half innings, the Rustler bats got hot after a series of RBI singles by Gianni Castillo and Tyler Depreta. Stahl followed with a two-run RBI single of his own. A Saddleback wild pitch would give up another run to cap off Golden West's five run inning.

The Rustlers would add on two more runs in the sixth inning to give Golden West a 7-1 win over Saddleback.

NEXT: The Rustlers look to extend their two-game win streak on Tuesday, March 31, at 2:00 p.m. when they host the Chaffey Panthers.