Giants Edge Fresno City, 3-2, in Series Opener Behind Selley’s Eighth-Inning Homer
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fresno City College
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
|
Sequoias
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 3 | 5 | 2 |
VISALIA, Calif. – College of the Sequoias delivered a clutch late-inning performance Tuesday afternoon, knocking off first-place Fresno City College with a 3-2 win in the Central Valley Conference series opener.
Walker Selley (Bermuda) provided the big swing in the bottom of the eighth inning, launching a go-ahead two-run home run to left that gave the Giants their first lead of the game. The homer scored pinch-runner Caleb Cazares (Clovis North HS) and ignited a surge of energy from the COS dugout.
Fresno City (24-8, 15-2 CVC) opened the scoring with a solo homer from JP Acosta in the first inning. The Giants (16-17, 9-8 CVC) tied the game in the third when Zach Milhous (Monache HS) scored on a throwing error, one of three runs in the game that were unearned.
The Rams threatened in the top of the ninth, capitalizing on a pair of errors to push a run across and cut the deficit to one. With the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Sam Reynolds (Bullard HS) forced a game-ending double play to earn his second save of the season.
College of the Sequoias' pitching staff held its own against a tough Fresno City lineup. Hudson Groh (Liberty HS) allowed one run over four innings, and Aaron Prieto (Fowler HS) followed with three scoreless frames. Aiden Bryan (Mt Whitney HS) picked up the win with a clean eighth, striking out two.
"I loved the way we battled today," Head Coach Jody Allen said. "It took a complete team effort—Selley had the big hit, and every guy in the dugout stayed engaged and ready. The pitching staff gave us what we needed, played clean, and we kept our composure the whole way."
Fresno City outhit Sequoias 9-5 but left seven runners on base and committed a costly error. Diego Sanchez (Bakersfield Christian HS) doubled in the eighth to set up the go-ahead rally, and Cazares entered as a pinch runner before scoring the eventual game-winner.
The win marks the Giants' second straight victory and hands the Rams their first conference loss of the season.
On Deck
The Giants will travel to Fresno for game two of the series on Thursday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m., before closing the set on Saturday, April 12 at 1:00 p.m. at Fresno. The Giants will then hit the road again for a single-game matchup at Porterville on Monday, April 14 at 2:00 p.m. before they return home to host Merced College on Wednesday, April 16 at 2:00 p.m.
