By Tadzio Garcia
The Huskies posted a 1-2 record during a spring-break road trip at Allan Hancock (0-11 loss,) Fresno City (5-4 win) and Cuesta (8-9 loss) colleges last week.
The road series ended with the Huskies, then ranked No. 19 in Southern California, losing a heartbreaker to the No. 3-ranked Cuesta College Cougars.
With score knotted at eight-all after five innings, an error by Husky Manual Estevez put Cuesta’s Cody Lavalli on base. Lavalli scored an unearned run off Bryce Marcoullier’s hit and the Cougars escaped with a win.
East Los Angeles College’s offense gave it a valiant effort while the defense committed a total of five errors while ending Cuesta’s four-game losing skid.
ELAC’s sloppy play on defense began early as two Husky errors contributed to a 4-0 Cuesta lead after one inning.
The Husky offense made it a game in the top of the third off of hits by Jaime Figueroa, Kyle Peralta, Franz Jacinto and Rodrigo Martinez scoring four runs.
With the bases loaded, Cuesta pitcher Garrett Turner hit Figueroa then Ernie Aguilera with two pitches and the Huskies scored two unearned runs.
The Huskies led by three runs after the inning, 7-4. ELAC had 10 hits in total from the bats of 9 Huskies. Martinez had two hits.
Other hits came from Aguilera, Robert Gonzalez, Estevez, Andrew Gutierrez, Armando Lomeli and Elias Novello.
The Huskies sent five pitchers to the mound with Christian Madrid, who pitched 1.1 innings, getting the loss. The Huskies returned home with a 13-14 overall record.
Stealing bases is ELAC’s forte. The Huskies have the 5th most stolen bases in the state and it paid off for an upset victory over the Fresno Rams in front of a crowd of 112.
ELAC’s victory over the Rams came off a single by Gutierrez in the bottom of the 10th inning after Peralta stole second base.
Both teams had gone scoreless for three innings after a Husky four-run sixth inning tied the score at 4-4.
The inning began with Gonzalez hitting a double. After an out, Peralta singled followed by a single by Michael Aguilar. After another out, Martinez tripled, Lomeli hit a single and the Huskies scored four runs off of five hits.
The Huskies slammed 14 hits in total including three each from Gonzalez, Peralta and Lomeli in an errorless ball game.
Greg Aldrete (3-1) struck out five, allowed only one hit, worked a perfect 9th and 10th, was credited with his third save. Fresno fell to 16-9 overall and was led by Jack Karraker’s three hits and two RBIs.
The Huskies had no answers for Hancock pitcher Joe Delfin (5-0) who went the distance in a four-hit victory.
The Huskies are mathematically in the hunt for a playoff berth.
ELAC ends South Coast Conference play prior to the post-season bids with three three-game series each against Mt. San Antonio, Cerritos and Los Angeles Harbor colleges.