This past weekend, Coastal Bend College baseball hit the road for three games. First stop, Wharton, TX for a nine inning ball game with South Suburban College on Friday, March 4th. The Cougars would then travel to Galveston, for a Region XIV Conference doubleheader against the Whitecaps on Saturday, March 5th.
Coastal Bend defeated South Suburban 11-1 in six innings by a run-rule. South Suburban drew first blood in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs hit a solo home run to take an early lead.
The Cougars evened things up at one in the bottom of the third inning when Damian Rodriguez singled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run. The game was tied at one with Coastal Bend College batting in the bottom of the fourth when Greg Smith doubled on a 1-0 count, scoring two runs.
Coastal Bend College secured the victory thanks to seven runs in the fourth inning. Zach Seigrist homered on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring three runs and Martinez's sac fly scored two runs for Coastal Bend College. Smith, Seigrist, and Eric Martinez each had RBI's in the big inning.
Jacob Guzman pitched Coastal Bend to victory. The righty lasted six innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out five opposing batters.
The Cougars totaled ten hits for the game. Victor Armendariz and Smith both recorded doubles during the win. Seigrist and Rodriguez each collected multiple hits for CBC. Coastal Bend College stole nine bases during the game as three players stole more than one. Rodriguez led the way with three.
On Saturday, the Cougars would face the Whitecaps of Galveston College for a conference doubleheader. Looking to make it two straight victories, Coastal Bend did just that.
Left Handed Pitcher, Cobe Reeves didn't allow a single run against Galveston College, throwing a complete game shutout and leading Coastal Bend College to a 1-0 victory on Saturday for game one of the double-dip. The pitching was strong on both sides. Reeves struck out five, while Galveston College pitchers sat down six.
Coastal Bend College got things moving in the second inning. Catcher, Selvin Anderson drove in Victor Armendariz when Anderson smacked a pitch for an RBI double. This run would be held on by the Cougars pitching and defense as they proceeded to their second straight win.
Reeves was credited with the victory for Coastal Bend. The lefty surrendered zero runs on two hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking zero.
Eric Martinez, Victor Armendariz, Damian Rodriguez, Ben Hovda, Brandon Gonzales, and Anderson each managed one hit to lead Coastal Bend College.
For the second game of the day, Coastal Bend College stayed in it until the end, but Galveston College pulled away late. The Whitecaps strung together a few hits and capitalized on a couple of errors for a 5-4 victory.
Coastal Bend fell behind early in the game, and had a difficult time scoring. It was not until the top of the sixth inning that the Cougars crossed the plate. CBC scored two runs to knot up the game.
The game was tied at two with Galveston batting in the bottom of the sixth when the Whitecaps doubled on a 3-2 count, scoring one run. After holding Coastal Bend scoreless in the top of the seventh, Galveston tacked on another run to extend their lead, 4-2 in the bottom half of the frame.
Heading into the top of the eighth inning, the Cougars rallied to tie up the game at four runs a piece. The tie would be short-lived, as the Whitecaps took advantage of some miscues from the Cougar defense.
Galveston scored the game-winning run off an RBI single to go up, 5-4. The Whitecaps then out away Coastal Bend in the top of the ninth to complete the game.
Ian Sexton was on the mound for Coastal Bend College. Sexton surrendered three runs on four hits over five and two-thirds innings, striking out four. Jayden Meredith threw two and a third innings out of the bullpen.
The Cougars scattered six hits in the game. Victor Armendariz knocked in two RBI's while Eric Martinez also helped score a run. Ben Hovda and Damian Rodriguez each had multiple hits for Coastal Bend College. Rodriguez and Hovda each collected two hits to lead Coastal Bend. Nomar Garcia recorded a double for the Cougars.
Coastal Bend moves to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in conference play. The Cougars will host Alvin Community College for a nine inning Region XIV Conference game on Wednesday, March 5th. First pitch is at 3:00 PM at Joe Hunter Field.