The powerful Fresno City Rams improved to 22-1 on the season with a trio of wins last week over the Taft College Cougars baseball team. Taft fell to the Rams 6-5 in 10 innings on March 10, 11-3 on March 12 and 12-3 on March 14.

Fresno City 6, Taft College 5 (10 innings)

Taft College built multiple late leads on the road March 10, 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 Landon 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 Glover and Sibal to cross the plate and push the advantage to 4-1. Taft scored a go-ahead 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 seven 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.

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.

Fresno City College 11, Taft College 3

Taft College could not overcome an early deficit as Fresno City College built a lead in the first inning and steadily pulled away for an 11-3 win March 12 afternoon at Cougar Field.

Fresno City set the tone with a three-run first inning and never trailed. A run-scoring double by Gilbert Acosta opened the scoring, and Noble Ortega followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0 before Taft came to bat. The Rams added on throughout the game, finishing with 11 runs on 10 hits while taking advantage of eight walks and five hit batters.

Taft answered in the third inning to get on the board. Aiden Otano singled and later came around to score on subsequent action, trimming the margin to 3-1 and briefly shifting momentum toward the Cougars. However, Fresno City responded in the fourth, when Tyler O’Toole launched a two-run home run to left to restore a three-run cushion and push the lead to 5-1.

The Rams broke the game open in the fifth inning with a three-run frame to extend the advantage to 8-1. Taft’s pitchers battled through traffic much of the afternoon, as Fresno City drew eight walks and saw two Cougars wild pitches contribute to run-scoring opportunities.

The Cougars produced their biggest swing in the sixth. Gaku Yamamoto connected for a two-run home run, cutting the deficit to 8-3 and giving Taft a late offensive spark. Taft finished with seven hits and left eight runners on base, creating chances but unable to come up with the big inning needed to close the gap.

Fresno City added insurance in the late innings, scoring on a wild pitch in the eighth to make it 9-3, and adding a pair in the ninth on a two-RBI single, setting the final margin at 11-3.

Taft pitchers struck out six but were hurt by free passes and Fresno City’s timely extra-base hits.

Fresno City College 12, Taft College 3

The Fresno City Rams ran their undefeated March to six wins in a row, with this third-game sweep over Taft College, winning with a 12-3 win March 14.

In this one, Taft scored a run in the first and FCC tied it 1-1 in the third. The Rams took an 11-3 lead in the fifth, then ran away with the game with a nine-run sixth. The Cougars battled back with two in the seventh, but Fresno closed out business the rest of the way for the nine-run win.

This week

The Cougars played on SoCal at Compton College (2-20) on March 18. Results and details were unavailable at press time. Next up is a two-game road set with Cerritos College (33-11), March 19 and 20.