Cougars sweep Butte, extend winning streak
Friday, March 6 and Sunday, March 8 the Lassen College baseball team swept a three-game series against Butte College, increasing their winning streak to 10 games, and remaining undefeated in conference.
The Cougars hit the road in game one. With an early lead, LCC never looked back and won 9-3. Jesse Dunham was the winning pitcher, throwing 5.2 innings.
He allowed two earned runs, giving up two hits, on his way to earning his fifth victory of the year. Layne Thacker and Tyler Rund each had three hits and an RBI. Chase Cripps and Mateo Martinez collected two hits apiece.
The doubleheader, originally planned for Saturday, was moved to Sunday due to weather. The first game was a tight battle the entire game.
Connor Irvine was the starting pitcher. He threw six innings, giving up three earned runs, on five hits while striking out five on his way to a no-decision.
Bennett King pitched the final 1.2 innings to earn the 4-3 victory. The offensive highlight came in the 10th inning when Brandon Springer hit the second pitch he saw out of the park for a solo “walk-off” home run.
Lassen completed the sweep with another 4-3 win in the nightcap. Rafael Gutierrez, Nate Morgan and Dunham all had multiple-hit games.
Lassen totaled 12 hits in the game. Kyle Norton pitched 4.2 innings, allowing no earned runs on two hits.
Braiden Bellum picked up his first win of the season in relief. He pitched 4.1 innings allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four.“The guys continue to get better every time out,” said head coach Frank Avilla. “But we still have more improving to do. This was a very positive step on our way to completing our team goal.”
The Cougars improved to 19-5 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the Golden Valley Conference.
The Cougars played the Shasta Knights in a three game series starting in Redding Thursday, March 12 and defeated the Knights 9-0 in the Thursday game.
But due to the coronavirus outbreak, the CCCAA has officially postponed the season.
