Taft College built multiple late leads on the road Tuesday night, but a pair of Fresno City College home runs in the final two frames sent the Cougars to a 6-5, 10-inning defeat at Fresno City College on March 10.
The Cougars led 4-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth before the Rams rallied to tie it on a three-run homer by Drake Davis. Taft moved back in front in the top of the 10th on an RBI single from Koa Sibal, only to see Fresno City walk it off in the bottom half when Brayden Chiarito delivered a two-run home run to right for the 6-5 final.
Taft’s offense steadily applied pressure, turning 10 hits and three hit batters into five runs while playing error-free baseball. The Cougars opened the scoring in the second inning when Carson Rodart lined a single to right to bring in Angelo, giving Taft an early 1-0 edge. After Fresno City tied the game 1-1 in the fifth, Taft answered in the seventh as Gaku Yamamoto doubled to left to score Angelo and restore a one-run lead.
The Cougars appeared to seize control in the eighth with a two-run rally. Aiden Otano singled to left following an error, allowing William and Sibal to cross the plate and push the advantage to 4-1. Taft added a key insurance run in the 10th when Sibal, who finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, punched a single to center to drive in Briones and give the Cougars a 5-4 cushion heading to the bottom half.
On the mound, Ryden Walker turned in a strong start for Taft. The right-hander worked 7.0 innings, scattering 10 hits but limiting the Rams to just one run while striking out five. Walker’s outing allowed the Cougars to carry a lead deep into the night, as Taft pitchers combined to strike out nine and hold Fresno City scoreless in seven of the first eight innings.
Taft’s lineup showed balance and competitiveness throughout, recording two doubles and putting runners on base in key spots while striking out only nine times against a Fresno City staff that featured a 10-strikeout, 7.0-inning effort from starter Wyatt Johnson. The Cougars also made the most of their opportunities on the basepaths, swiping a base and stranding only four runners thanks to timely hitting in the middle and late innings.
Despite the final result, the Cougars’ performance on the road highlighted quality starting pitching, clean defense and late-inning resilience against one of the region’s toughest lineups. Taft will look to build on the positives from Tuesday’s extra-inning battle as the Cougars head into the heart of their schedule seeking to turn narrow road losses into conference wins.