IRVINE – After surviving a deluge of rain over the last couple of days, the Grossmont College Griffins played a twin bill of baseball games at Irvine Valley on Sunday, Feb. 26 and came away with a sweep.
Grossmont (7-5) got a great performance out of Kyle Dobyns in game one that went 12 innings (originally scheduled for seven) before winning 5-4. Game two saw the Griffins' big first baseman Zavien Watson smash a two-run home run to left that would be the difference in the seven-inning contest.
In game one, Noah Lane got the day going with a two-run homer to left field. An inning later, Noah Lane copied and pasted what Noah Lane did with his own two-run homer to left to give Grossmont a 4-0 lead.
Irvine Valley (8-7) would not go quietly. In the bottom of the third with two outs and runners on the corners. The Lasers pulled off the double steal to cut the lead down to 4-1. After a batter was hit with a pitch, the Lasers would have a two-run double and followed that with a single to score a total of four runs in the frame.
That is how the scoring would stay as both clubs were held scoreless over the next eight innings.
Ethan Caschetta walked to start the top of the 12th inning. A wild pitch moved Caschetta to second, with Juan Nunez receiving a free pass to put runners on first and second. That forced IVC into bringing in a new pitcher. During his first batter, Noah Lane, the new pitcher unleashed a wild pitch moving Caschetta and Nunez to second and third. Lane then received an intentional walk to load the bases with no one out. That forced the Lasers to bring in the centerfielder to pitch. As he was facing Skylar Agnew, another wild pitch was thrown allowing Caschetta to score and moving Nunez to third and Lane to second. Another wild pitch was thrown, but the Lasers cut down Nunez at home for the first out of the inning. a strike out and ground-out closed out the top of the 12th.
Bradley Barkley came in for the Griffins to close out the bottom of the inning and shut down the Lasers getting a ground out and a pair of flyouts to secure the 5-4 victory.
In game two of the day, Grossmont was the "home" team. Ethan Heider threw six strong innings allowing just one run on six hits and a walk with four strikeouts.
The scoring got underway for the Laser in the top of the first with an RBI single to left.
Zavien closed out the scoring with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to … you guessed it to left field.
Barkley came in for his third save of the year, and second of the day.
The Griffins hope to play on Tuesday at home against Riverside at 1:00 p.m. That is if the field can dry out enough to play.