Huntington Beach, Calif. - Three different pitchers helped propel Golden West past Chaffey 3-2 in non-conference play this afternoon. The trio of Josh Ibarra (3IP, 3K), Micah Wallette (3IP, 5K), and Eric Romo (3IP, 3K) fanned 11 Panthers as the Rustlers improved to 22-14 overall heading into the final three game conference series of regular season.
Ely Stuart got the offense going in the third inning with a solo home run to give Golden West a 1-0 lead. That was the spark the offense needed as they scored all three of their runs in the third inning. Justin Simpson followed Stuarts home run with a single, then advanced to second on a passed ball. Two pitches later, Simpson would score on a wild pitch all the way from second base to give the Rustlers a 2-0 lead with no outs. Seth Nelson was at bat while Simpson was taking advantage of the extra bases when he finally laced a line drive to center field for a single but advanced to second on a bobble in the outfield. Zakk Morgan would then cash in on the RBI opportunity with a single through the middle of the infield to give Golden West a 3-0 lead.
Pitching from both teams dominated for the next three innings till Chaffey tallied a run to cut into the Rustler lead 3-1. The Panthers would stay pesky in the eighth inning as they plated another run on three hits. With a little drama in the ninth, Romo was able to induce a 4-6-3 double play to end the game and earn his first save of season.
NEXT: Golden West will host Fullerton College on Tuesday, April 23rd for a 2pm start.
