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Cougars Miss Playoffs, End Season on Sour Note
by Dennis McCall
T aft Midway Driller
May 3, 2010

The baseball gods didn’t smile on the Taft College. The Cougars split their final two Central Valley Conference games and didn’t get the help they needed so they could finish alone in third place. Instead, TC finished tied for third with Sequoias – both teams finishing 13-11. If second-place Merced had been able to beat Sequoias Saturday, head coach Vince Maiocco is certain, the Cougars would have made the playoffs. “If that happens, we’d be packing our bags,” he said. The Cougars hammered Porterville 14-6 on Thursday, then turned in their ugliest performance of the season Friday in a 20-4 shellacking from conference kingpin Fresno. The Rams really turned up the heat down the home stretch, winning all six games.  They outscored their opponents 98-14 on 103 hits that included eight homers, six triples and 25 doubles. Fresno was seeded fifth among the 18 northern California teams heading into the playoffs.  Runner-up Merced, which lost four of its last six, was seeded 11th. “We felt pretty good going into the Fresno game, but we just didn’t get any help,” Maiocco said.  “With us losing and Sequoias winning, it left us out.  Looking at the seedings, I think we could have come it at 13 or at least 14.  It was very disappointing, very disappointing.”

The home stretch challenge was compounded when the Cougars lost three regulars – third baseman Perry Rogan, pitcher Garrett Jensen and outfielder Michael Hayes. All three suffered injuries.  Rogan’s was a broken leg. “He played three weeks with a broken leg,” Maiocco said.  “He’s just an outstanding third baseman.” Rogan was the team leader in slugging percentage (.510). The Cougars finished 22-14 overall and marked the first back-to-back winning seasons since 1985-86. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Maiocco said.

In the win over Porterville, designated hitter Braden Keathley drove in six runs with a single, double and grand slam homerun.  It was his first homer of the season. Dominic McGovern drove in four runs with two singles and a sacrifice fly, Anthony Rodriguez had a double, single and an RBI, Sean Arbaut doubled and singled to drive in two runs, and Dillon Smith doubled and singled. Austin Christiansen got the win with his six innings of work.  He struck out four and walked one.

Against Fresno, the Cougars started out well. Rodriguez and Josh Dickey, who had two hits apiece, poked back-to-back singles to open the game and rode home on McGovern’s triple. An error scored McGovern to give the Cougars a quick 3-0 lead. It evaporated when the Rams scored seven runs over the first four innings. Then the roof caved in on the Cougars in the fifth when Fresno combined three singles, three walks, two errors, a wild pitch and Brandon Henderson’s grand slam for nine runs. TC’s only other noise was Keathley’s solo homer in the third.  He went 3-for-4 at the plate and was one of seven Cougar pitchers trying to tame the hard-hitting Rams. The lone bright spot for the pitching corps was Patrick Fratto’s three-up and three-down effort in the ninth.

Cougars Begin Home Stretch Challenge
Taft Midway Driller
Apr. 19, 2010

Taft College’s baseball team heads into the home stretch of the regular season today with a crucial home game against the second place team in the Central Valley Conference. The third place Cougars (18-0 CVC, 19-11 overall) host Merced (14-4, 20-9) at 2 p.m. on the campus field. The game marks the first against all six CVC opponents as the season winds down and playoff berths are at stake. It also is the Cougars’ only home game. They will have to finish the final five – Reedley on Saturday, Sequoias on Sunday, West Hills next Tuesday, Porterville on April 29 and Fresno on April 31 – on the road. Fresno (15-3, 21-8) leads the conference. The Cougars control their own destiny, but could get a little help if Sequoias stumbles down the road. TC is tied for third place with the Giants, who also are 10-8 in the conference, 14-15-1 overall. Taft had the bye in the final week of three-game series and used that time to rest up and heal up. Several players were nursing injuries. The most serious work the team did was a few intersquad games.

Softballers finish Tuesday The Cougar softball team finishes up its regular season today by hosting West Hills College in a single game at 2 p.m. The Cougars (8-9 CVC, 14-22-1 overall) dropped a pair of 8-0 decisions last Thursday to conference leader Sequoias (17-0, 33-6), but are still in third place in the conference. They’ll have to wait and see what happens with the playoff seedings.

Cougar Baseball Team takes a Break before Home Stretch
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Apr. 12, 2010

A 10-day break might come at just the right time for the Taft College baseball team. The Cougars draw the bye on the Central Valley Conference schedule this week and won’t return to action until April 20 when they begin the final six-game stretch in quest of a spot in the playoffs. “This break may be coming at a good time for us,” said head coach Vince Maiocco, who has several starters ailing and could get one of his starting pitchers back into the lineup. “We have some guys who could use the rest.” Third baseman Perry Rogan, who is leading the team in slugging (.510) and on-base (.457) average “has been hobbling for several days” with a leg injury and catcher Darby Ventura “is really worn down.” Starting pitcher Garret Jensen, who has been on the shelf the past three weeks with a shoulder ailment, could start throwing again this week, Maiocco said. “If he can, we’ll probably start him out with some relief work,” he said.

The Cougars have finished the run of three-game series with each team and head into the crucial final stretch, playing single games with each of the other six CVC teams. TC is in fourth place in the conference with a 10-8 record (19-11 overall), but could leapfrog over third place Sequoias (9-6, 13-13-1) depending on how the Giants do this week against co-leader Merced (12-3, 18-8). The Cougars will be watching that series closely. If Merced – the team with the top pitching staff in the CVC – sweeps Sequoias, the Cougars will move into third.
TC split its last two games with Merced – winning 6-4 at home last Thursday and losing 8-4 Saturday in Merced.

Freshman Braden Keathley, who has emerged as the leader of the Cougar pitching staff, worked seven innings in the victory. He gave up just two earned runs on five hits, but left the game trailing 4-1. That’s when the Cougars cobbled together a five-run eighth on just two hits. Those came when Devan Pearson led off with a single to left field and Anthony Rodriguez beat out a high bouncer with one out. Back-to-back errors and three consecutive walks sandwiched around a balk gave the Cougars the win. Jesus Del Rosario came on to shut down Merced in the eighth and ninth to get the win and push his record to 3-0.

Stefan Norman’s two-run homerun gave the Cougars a quick 2-0 lead in Saturday’s game, but the Blue Devils tied it and then surged ahead with a four-run rally in the fourth on three hits, two errors and two sacrifice flies. Rogan had two hits and drove in a run. He and Dominic McGovern cracked doubles. Shawn Davison worked three and a third and Devin Thomas three innings. Del Rosario finished up, running his streak of scoreless innings to 21 2/3.

Merced Beats TC, Moves into First Place
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Apr. 8, 2010

Nathan Gonzalez ran his league-leading record to 6-0 Tuesday by pitching the Merced College Blue Devils into first place in the Central Valley Conference with a 9-3 win over Taft College. Gonzalez gave up just four hits in his seven and a third innings of work, striking out four and walking four. His teammates pounded out 16 hits off five Cougar pitchers as the Blue Devils moved ahead of Fresno City College into the top rung by improving to 11-2, 17-8 overall.  Fresno (10-3, 15-8) dropped a 6-2 decision to third place Sequoias (9-4, 12-11). The Cougars fell to 9-7 in the conference and 18-10 overall.

Cleanup hitter Darby Ventura had two of the five Taft hits and drove in two runs. First baseman Jordan Howard cracked a solo homer in the ninth for TC’s third run, and Perry Rogan doubled. The game was a tight affair over the first six and a half innings with Merced clinging to a 2-1 lead before exploding for six runs on five hits – including a two-run homer by Hunter Adrian – in the bottom of the sixth to break the game open. Austin Christiansen worked the first five innings for the Cougars, giving up two runs on nine hits and a walk.  He worked himself out of several jams.

The Blue Devils stranded 11 runners. Juan Beltran pitched a scoreless sixth, but Devin Thomas and Jose Colon gave up five runs on five hits in the seventh before Patrick Fratto came on to get the final out. The first Cougar run came in the fourth when Josh Dickey drew a leadoff walk, moved up on a balk and scored on a hit by Ventura. Gonzalez kept a lid on the Cougars until the eighth when Michael Hayes walked, advanced on a groundout and wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Ventura – his 28th RBI on the season, which ranks him third in the conference. The final game of the series will be played Saturday in Merced at 1 p.m.

Cougars Face Important Week in Return to Action
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Apr. 5, 2010

After taking some time off, Taft College’s baseball and softball teams will plunge back into action this week with crucial Central Valley Conference games. The Cougar baseball team (18-9, 9-6 CVC) will play a three-game series with conference co-leader Merced, traveling for games Tuesday and Saturday and hosting the Blue Devils Thursday at 2 p.m. Merced and Fresno are tied for the lead with identical conference (10-2) and overall (15-7) records. The softball team (11-19-1, 4-7 CVC) also will host Merced (3-21, 2-8 CVC) in a Thursday doubleheader that begins at 2 p.m.

The Cougar baseball team is hitting .300 as a team, second best in the conference behind Fresno’s .316. Leadoff batter Anthony Rodriguez leads the team with a .376 average, which ranks him fourth in the conference. He is second in hits with 41. Perry Rogan is ninth (.349) and Josh Dickey 12th (.344). Catcher Darby Ventura, who is batting .330, leads the conference in homers with six and is third in runs batted in with 26. Of the non-starters Austin Christiansen is hitting .340, Michael Hayes .339, Rex Blaylock .313 and Travis Derby .300. Braden Keathley leads the pitching corps with a .323 earned run average and 3-2 a record. He ranks fourth in the conference in strikeouts with 43. Jesus Del Rosario leads the conference in saves. Rodriguez leads the conference in stolen bases with 20 while Dickey is second with 14. The Cougars have the leading hitter in conference softball statistics.

Freshman first baseman Courtney Nyetrae is batting .541 with 21 doubles and 32 RBIs, which rank her first in all three categories. She has three homeruns. Kelcey Viliamu leads the conference in homers with eight. She is hitting .347 and is tied for second in the CVC with 28 RBIs. Amber Si’u is hitting .427, Baylee Day .409, Allie Carrigan .365, Joya Cervera .317 and Megan Smith .304. TC has the second best team batting average at .337 behind conference leader Sequoias (29-6 overall, 13-0 CVC), which is hitting .357. Freshman Carrigan leads the pitching staff with a 2.67 ERA while Mersades Cruz has a 5.35 ERA and a record of 4-3. Carrigan’s overall record is 6-15.

Cougars Win 2-of-3 on Spring Break Road Trip
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Apr. 1, 2010

Taft College sandwiched two one-run victories around a loss this week during a three-game spring break road trip. The Cougars split two games Monday and Tuesday with San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton and then edged Modesto on Wednesday to cap a successful road trip. Cougars 7, Delta 6. First baseman Tyler Blair slugged a grand slam homer in the top of the sixth to give the Cougars a 6-1 lead before Mustangs bounced back to tie it with two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth. The Cougars won it in the top of the ninth when they loaded the bases with no one out on singles by Dominic McGovern and Anthony Rodriguez sandwiched around a walk to Jeremiah Twisselman. A throwing error on Michael Hayes’ grounder scored what proved to be the winning run.

That was all TC got because a grounder forced Twisselman out at the plate and another turned into an inning-ending double play. Jesus Del Rosario retired the Mustangs in the home half of the ninth to get the win. Austin Christiansen pitched six strong innings, giving up three runs on three hits, striking out two and walking three. Hayes and Josh Dickey both had a pair of hits. Delta 8, Cougars 4

Kyle Hassna threw seven solid innings, scattering seven Cougar hits in a game that saw the Mustangs take the lead for good with two runs in the second and third. Stefan Norman’s solo homer was TC’s biggest hit. Devan Pearson had a pair of singles. Braden Keathley worked four and a third for the Cougars to take the loss. He gave up five runs but only three were earned. Delta managed just three hits off him, but he gave up five walks. Cougars 4, Modesto 3 Perry Rogan’s three-run homer in the top of the fourth tied the game after Modesto scored three times off Cougar starter Shawn Davisson – two in the first and one in the third.

The Cougars scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth. Hayes opened with an infield single, Darby Ventura cracked a double to left that put runners on second and third. Rogan and Norman drew back-to-back walks to force in the winning run. Hayes went 3-for-3. Jose Colon, Juan Beltran and Jesus Del Rosario held the Pirates scoreless through the final four and two-thirds innings, giving up just two hits. Beltran got the win to improve his record to 4-2.

The Cougars, who are 18-9 on the season, return to Central Valley Conference wars next Tuesday when they travel to Merced (13-7, 10-2 CVC). TC is 9-6 in the conference. The teams will play in Taft on Thursday and wrap up the series April 10 in Merced. The Blue Devils, who are tied with Fresno for first place in the CVC, are ranked ninth in northern California. Fresno is fifth and TC 18th.

Cougar Baseball Team Thumps Sequoias Twice
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 29, 2010

Taft College tuned up for spring break by finishing off College of the Sequoias in the final two games of a Central Valley Conference baseball series. The Cougars got solid pitching from starters Braden Keathley and Shawn Davisson along with timely hitting and sterling defense to earn 7-5 and 8-1 victories. “That ranks up there as far as most important wins in my short tenure here,” said head coach Vince Maiocco. “It was good to get two quality wins against a team that is ahead of us in the standings. That was encouraging.” Not only is Sequoias ahead of the Cougars in the CVC standings, the Giants were ranked 13th last week in northern California. TC was 18th.

“Shawn did a great job,” Maiocco said. “We hoped to get a couple of good innings from him and he gives us six.” Maiocco had expected to use a committee approach when it came to pitchers in Saturday’s final game of the series because starter Garret Jensen is on the shelf for three weeks with stiffness in his shoulder. Davisson blanked the Giants on four hits through six innings, striking out three and walking none. Five pitchers from the bullpen finished up. Keathley improved his record to 3-1 with his six innings of work in Thursday’s game, giving up two runs on six hits, striking out two and walking one. Jesus Del Rosario got his fourth save of the season.

The Cougars jumped out to quick leads in both games. On Thursday in Visalia they scored four runs in the second and coasted into the bottom of the seventh with a 7-2 lead when the Giants scored three times to make it close. At home on Saturday, the Cougars broke it open early with a five-run splurge in the second and built an 8-0 bulge before Sequoias scored in the ninth. In each game, leadoff batter Anthony Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. One of his hits was a double. Michael Hayes had two triples and a single to drive in six runs, Perry Rogan was 3-for-6 with a triple, Dominic McGovern was 3-for-4, and Darby Ventura belted his sixth homer of the season.

The Cougars played solid defense, especially in Saturday’s game when they played errorless ball, turned three double plays and got a highlight reel catch from Dominic McGovern in center field that prevented a run. “Defensively, that kept momentum on our side,” Maiocco said. “Besides making that great catch, Dominic contributed offensively. That was good to see because he’s been having trouble hitting. If he can pick it up and play like he did last year, that will really help us down the stretch.” The Cougars (9-6 CVC, 16-8 overall) are in Stockton today and tomorrow to play a two-game set with San Joaquin Delta and will head to Modesto Wednesday for another non-conference outing. “Both play in the Orange Empire, which is one of the best baseball conferences in the state. If we can sneak a win or two from those guys, that will help us out a lot.”
Maiocco said he’s treating the three games like conference games.

COS Pitcher Handcuffs Cougars
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 25, 2010

College of the Sequoias ace John Niggli kept the top of the Taft College batting order in check Tuesday and the Giants scored three times in the top of the eighth for a 5-2 Central Valley Conference win. Niggli, who improved his record to 4-1, went the distance for the Giants and limited the top of the order to a 1-for-15 day. The teams go at it again Saturday at 1 p.m. in the final clash of the three-game series. It was a pitcher’s duel for the first four innings. Cougar starter Austin Christiansen allowed just one hit while TC managed three singles off Niggli.

COS broke the ice in the fifth with a leadoff double by Brandon Pizzo, who went 3-for-4, a single by Jacob Motsenbocker and a sacrifice fly. The Giants made it 2-0 in the sixth on another sacrifice fly after Patrick Hutcheson doubled and stole third. The Cougars rallied in the seventh. Perry Rogan lined a single to center, stole second and scored when Tyler Blair bounced a single up the middle. Dominic McGovern was safe when Sequoias shortstop Hutcheson couldn’t pick up his grounder. Blair and McGovern advanced when Hutcheson mishandled the throw from right-fielder Motsenbocker on Rex Blaylock’s fly ball.

Braden Keathley rifled a pinch-hit single up the middle to score Blair with the tying run, but McGovern was thrown out at the plate in a hotly disputed call. Sequoias put the game away in the eighth by combining three singles, three stolen bases, a walk, and a balk off Cougar relievers Devin Thomas and Jose Colon, who took the loss. Christiansen allowed two runs on six hits in his six innings of work. He struck out five and walked only one. Rogan and Blair had to hits apiece to account for half of the Cougar hits off Niggli.

Taft College Baseball Splits Against West Hills
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 22, 2010

Freshman right-hander Braden Keathley pitched six strong innings and Taft College got its first shutout of the season last Thursday with a 4-0 victory over West Hills College in Coalinga. That win gave the 19th ranked Cougars the first two games of a three-game Central Valley Conference series, but the Falcons bounced back Saturday to keep from being swept, winning the finale 8-6 in Taft. Head coach Vince Maiocco was disappointed. “It’s one of those losses we will look back on at the end of the season and say, ‘gee, if only we could have won that one,’” he said. “It’s probably bigger now because we had them primed for a sweep.”

Mistakes cost his team what would have been a big bounce heading into this week’s crucial series with No. 20 College of the Sequoias, which is tied for second spot in the CVC with a 7-2 record. The Cougars are 7-5. “We definitely took a step backward,” Maiocco said. “But, we’ll still be motivated for our series with Sequoias.” The series opener is being played today on the Cougars’ lot. Game two will be Thursday in Visalia and the finale in Taft Saturday at 1 p.m.

Keathley allowed just three hits over the first six innings of Thursday’s game, striking out six and walking one. “He normally is our Saturday starter, so he was working with a short rest,” Maiocco said. “He threw very well, and the bullpen did a great job.” Jose Colon, Devin Thomas and Jesus Del Rosario preserved the shutout, allowing the Falcons just two more hits over the final three innings.

Timely hitting backed up the shutout. Darby Ventura led off the second inning with a double and rode home on Austin Christiansen’s single to give the Cougars all the offense they needed.
Ventura, Josh Dickey and Christiansen had two hits apiece to account for six of the Cougars’ eight hits. In Saturday’s game, West Hills jumped on starter Garret Jensen early, building a 3-0 lead in the first three innings. Dickey’s solo homerun to lead off the fourth ignited a five-run Cougar uprising. Ventura followed with a single, moved up on a passed ball and scored on Perry Rogan’s single to the base of the fence in left center.

Three consecutive walks forced in a run, Anthony Rodriguez, who had three hits in the game, drove in a run with a single and Stefan Norman gave the Cougars the lead with a sacrifice fly. West Hills came right back to tie it in the fifth and go ahead with two runs in the sixth. TC couldn’t respond, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth and eighth.
Maiocco said mistakes hurt his team. “Every time we made a mistake defensively, it killed us,” he said, citing a missed double play, missed tag on a steal, and the inability to field a ground ball cleanly and head off a potential run. “We definitely didn’t help ourselves,” he said.

Ventura Slugs Fifth Homer as Cougars Romp
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 11, 2010

Sophomore catcher Darby Ventura bashed his fifth home run of the season Tuesday as Taft College hammered visiting Porterville College with a 17-hit attack to earn a 12-3 Central Valley Conference baseball victory. It was the third straight conference win after an 0-4 start and moved the Cougars up a notch on the CVC ladder heading into Thursday’s game in Porterville. The finale of the three-game series will be Saturday at 1 p.m. on the TC campus. The Cougars scored in all but the third inning.

Nine players collected at least one hit. Second baseman Jeremiah Twisselman and outfielder Michael Hayes led the way by going 3-for-4 and driving in two runs each. Third baseman Perry Rogan was 3-for-5, designated hitter Josh Dickey 2-for-3 with an RBI, and leadoff batter and shortstop Anthony Rodriguez 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jordan Howard cracked a solo homer and Rodriguez and Dominic McGovern had doubles and an RBI. The Cougars hit the ball consistently off three Pirate pitchers, scoring single runs in the first, second and fourth, two each in the fifth, sixth and seventh before scoring three times in their last at-bat.

TC used four pitchers Starter Austin Christiansen went five innings, giving up a run on four hits, striking out five and walking one. Devin Thomas pitched two innings and was tagged for a run on two hits while striking out two and walking one. After closing out the Porterville series Saturday, the Cougars will play a three-game set with West Hills, a team that is a game ahead of the Cougars in the conference standings.

Cougar Baseball Ends Drought, Beat Reedley Twice
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 8, 2010

After starting Central Valley Conference baseball play 0-4, Taft College bounced back by beating Reedley College twice. In both games, the Cougars erased Tiger leads to climb out of the CVC basement – winning 5-4 Thursday in Taft with a two-run rally in the bottom of the eighth and 6-3 on Saturday in Reedley after falling behind 3-0 early. The victories give the Cougars a 2-4 conference record heading into this afternoon’s home game with 0-6 Porterville. The Cougars are 9-6 overall. “Even though we got two wins, we didn’t play great baseball,” head coach Vince Maiocco said. “But we got the monkey off our backs and hopefully we can move forward.”

Catcher Darby Ventura went 4-for-8, smacking his fourth homer of the season and driving in three runs to run his total to a team-high 21. “Darby’s homerun was just a bomb,” Maiocco said. “Reedley has a big field, and he hit one that left no doubt.” The sophomore drove in the tying run in the first game after Josh Dickey, who had three hits in the two games, doubled to lead off the eighth. Jeremiah Twisselman ran for Ventura, moved up on an infield error and scored the winning run on a pinch-hit single by Braden Keathley.

The Cougars used four pitchers. Freshman David Carmona was effective in his three innings of work from the sixth through the eighth. He held the Tigers scoreless, giving up two hits and striking out three to get the win. Jesus Del Rosario pitched the ninth, getting a groundout and two strikeouts. In Saturday’s game at Reedley, the Tigers took a 3-0 lead after three innings, but the Cougars came back with a run in the top of the fourth, two in the fifth and one each in the sixth, seventh and ninth.

TC banged 11 hits, including Ventura’s solo homer in the seventh and doubles by Dickey, Perry Rogan and Rex Blaylock. Ventura leads the team in slugging average at .614. Juan Belran and Shawn Davisson pitched the first five innings, giving up three runs and six hits between them. Jose Colon and Del Rosario split the final four innings, holding the Tigers scoreless on three hits. Del Rosario struck out four. “Our bullpen was outstanding,” Maiocco said. “Shawn, Jose and Jesus pitched very well. Jesus is turning out to be an outstanding closer for us.” The Cougars were without a starting pitcher and first baseman for Saturday’s game because they showed up late for the bus, the coach said. After hosting Porterville today, the Pirates will host Thursday’s game and the teams will close out the three-game series in Taft on Saturday.

Taft College's Conference Skid Reaches Four in a Row
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 4, 2010

Vince Maiocco was not a happy camper after his team dropped its fourth consecutive Central Valley Conference baseball game Tuesday – a 5-2 decision to Reedley College. “That was just frustrating,” the Cougar head coach said. “You can live with the fact that you flat out get outplayed. Reedley didn’t play well, but we were worse.” The Cougars officially had two errors, but Maiocco cited other deficiencies that didn’t show up in the scorebook. “All of our mistakes were mental,” he said. “We made two base-running mistakes, we didn’t bunt well, we missed a squeeze play, we hit ground balls with the infield drawn in. “We didn’t deserve to win that game. Even as bad as we played we still should have won.”

The Cougars out-hit Reedley 10-8, but stranded nine runners. “We’re getting a lot of runners on base, but we just aren’t getting the clutch hit. Our No. 4 hitter Darby (Ventura) is our table setter, and you can’t have your cleanup hitter be our table setter.” TC took a 2-1 lead into the seventh scored three times before adding an insurance run in the eighth. Ventura, Stefan Norman, Tyler Blair and Travis Derby all had two hits. Blair drove in both Cougar runs with a double that plated Ventura and Norman, who opened the third with back-to-back singles and moved up on Dillon Smith’s sacrifice bunt.

The loss gives the Cougars an 0-4 start to conference play after winning seven in a row. Reedley, by contrast, entered CVC play at 0-7. The Tigers started the conference 2-1. On Monday, the Cougars dropped a 3-2 decision at Fresno City College in a game that was postponed from Saturday by rain. TC scored runs in the first two innings, but Fresno scored all its runs in the sixth on a three-run homer by catcher Zach Sullivan.

Cougar starter Braden Keathly hit the first two batters of the inning to set the table for what proved to be the game-winner. Keathley gave up just two other hits in his seven innings of work. He struck out six and walked only one. Fresno’s sweep of the Cougars puts the Rams atop the CVC heap at 3-0. Sequoias is 3-1, West Hills and Reedley 2-1, Merced 1-0 and Taft and Porterville 0-4. The Cougars finish their three-game set with Reedley tomorrow in Reedley and begin a series with Porterville next Tuesday at home. Game time is 2 p.m.

Fresno Scores Early, Late to Beat Taft College
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 1, 2010

Fresno City College did it again. For the second time in three days, the Rams scored early to take the lead and then added five runs in the ninth to pull away. This time – on Thursday afternoon – Fresno jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then saw the Cougars score three in the fifth to get close. The Rams erupted for five in the top of the ninth to win going away, 11-3. That gave Fresno a 2-0 start in the Central Valley Conference.  Fresno is 6-3 overall while the Cougars are 7-4 overall and 0-2 in the CVC.

The third game of the series scheduled for Saturday in Fresno was rained out and will be made up this week.  The Cougars also have a three-game series with Reedley beginning today in Reedley. The Tigers come to town Thursday at 2 p.m. and the finale will be in Reedley on Saturday. TC managed to bang out 12 hits against Fresno.

Leadoff batter Anthony Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with two doubles while Darby Ventura, Austin Christiansen, Perry Rogan and Travis Derby all had a pair of singles.  Stefan Norman had the other hit. Garret Jensen pitched the first three innings for the Cougars and took the loss – his first of the year after winning his first three.  He gave up three runs on five hits. Jesus Del Rosario worked five innings, giving up six runs on five hits, striking out two and walking four. Jordan Howard and Shawn Davisson finished up.

TC got all its runs in the bottom of the fifth. Derby and Rodriguez led off with back-to-back singles and after two fly-ball outs, Ventura walked to load the bases. Christensen punched a single to drive in a run and Norman cracked a two-run single. The third game of the series was re-scheduled for Monday.  See Friday’s Midway Driller for details.

Taft Baseball Team Wins 7th Straight
The Bakersfield Californian
Feb. 21, 2010

TAFT -- Travis Derby's grand slam powered Taft College to its seventh straight victory, 13-8, over Monterey Peninsula on Sunday afternoon. It was the first home run of the season for Derby, who broke open an 8-7 game for the Cougars (7-2). Derby scored the go-ahead run onan RBI single by Darby Ventura in the sixth inning. Dominic McGovern went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the fourth to give Taft a 7-1 lead. Monterey (5-2) scored six runs in the sixth to tie the game. Ventura was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Anthony Rodriguez added two hits and four stolen bases. The Cougars had six steals and were 23-for-25 on steal attempts in three games over the weekend.

Taft College Sweep 3 Games Over Weekend
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Feb. 15, 2010

Taft College combined good hitting, solid pitching and effective base running to sweep three non-conference baseball games over the weekend that erased the disappointment of the previous weekend when the Cougars went 1-2 because they gave up a dozen unearned runs. This time the defense was better, but still needs some improvement, according to said head coach Vince Maiocco. “We played much better defensively, but I know we can playeven better.” He was disappointed that his team was able to turn but one double play although there were several other chances. “One of our goals is to be at least 70 percent with our double play opportunities,” he said. While the Cougars went 3-0 in the mini-tournament College of the Siskiyous left town even at 2-2.  Barstow lost two one-run decisions to Siskiyous before getting thumped by the Cougars in the final game. TC scored 24 runs on 30 hits and committed six errors.  The Cougars had 13 the week before. The Cougars also stole 14-of-15 bases. Cougars 5, Siskiyous 3

Anthony Rodriguez and Stefan Norman each had a double and single and drove in a run and Josh Dickey and Perry Rogan drove in runs with base hits to back up solid pitching by Braden Keathley, who worked 6.2 innings with five strikeouts and a w