El Centro — Grossmont had an up and down day in the Mojave Desert on Saturday, April 2 as they won the first game of a doubleheader but lost the nightcap.
For the day Ethan Caschetta racked up five hits in nine at bats with four RBI.
In the early game, the Griffins (16-10, 9-4 PCAC) saw all nine spots in the lineup get a hit as they won 10-2. Grossmont scored twice in the top of the second. Dante Juliano laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt that advanced Noah Lane to second and brought home Skyler Agnew. Caschetta singled bringing home Lane for the 2-0 lead after an inning and a half. Imperial Valley (5-19-1, 3-10 PCAC) scored one in the bottom of the second inning.
In the top of the third, Agnew (second) and Sean McGrew (home) pulled off the double steal to move it to 3-1 GC. Luke Denos doubled in the fourth to bring home Caschetta for 4-1 Grossmont. The Agnew-McGrew combo struck again in the fifth. Agnew hit a sacrifice fly to right to allow McGrew to scamper home from third.
IVC scored their final run of the first game in the bottom of the fifth when they pushed one more run across the plate.
The Green and Gold scored once in the eighth inning, then a four-pack of runs (including two double steals) in the ninth inning to give the final 10-2.
Things didn't quite go as easily in the second game of the day.
The Arabs scored all 11 of their runs in the first three innings. Four in the first and second and closed out their scoring with three more in the third.
Grossmont put two up in the second and fifth, along with a single run in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings to put it at 11-7. Sadly, they would not be able to get the tying run on deck after that.
Tuesday the Griffins will continue Pacific Coast Athletic Conference play as they begin a three game series against fifth place San Diego Mesa. Home games this week will be on Tuesday and Saturday, while on Thursday the scene will transition to Kearny Mesa. This begins the stretch run for the Griffins as there are only 12 games left in the regular season.