The Raiders had the cure to a sting as the Fullerton Hornets weren’t able to have their way against their opponents.
The Raiders had a break from conference play as the Hornets traveled northwest to Moorpark College. The Moorpark Raiders defeated the Fullerton Hornets 13-1 behind a nice outing from their starting pitcher and an explosive offense.
Everything went well for the Raiders in the non-conference showdown.
Freshman starting pitcher Caden Gustafson had a great game. He tossed 7.0 innings while allowing one run and striking out five batters.
Gustafson had support from the start as the Raiders were able to score three runs in the first three innings. Fullerton’s head coach had seen enough, so he removed their starting pitcher Oscar Perez.
After removing Perez, the Hornets went on a relief pitching carousel to find someone who could get them some outs.
Relief pitcher Jacob Baca wasn’t the answer as the Raiders were able to score three runs in the fourth while he was on the mound.
The Hornets then brought in another pitcher to try and cool down the Raiders. Moorpark was still able to take advantage of the new pitcher as they drew two walks.
The first walk loaded the bases, which allowed for the second walk to bring in an extra run before the inning was over.
That was just the type of day the Raiders enjoyed. Everything went well for them and they were able to just have fun.
“Our mindset is to have fun cause technically we’re already out of playoffs,” freshman OF Zach Nissim said. “We’re just having fun playing to our best abilities cause we know what we’re capable of.”
Nissim led the way for the Raiders against the Hornets with a great day at the plate. Nissim hit 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Freshman INF Cameron Kinsner also helped contribute for the Raiders. Although only getting one hit in six at-bats, Kinsner supplied three RBIs.
Sophomore INF James Terrazas assisted by going 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored.
Another bright spot for the Raiders was sophomore catcher Michael Teobaldi. He went 2-for-4 while scoring three runs.
“We did a good job being patient as a team at the plate today,” Teobaldi said. “We made pitchers throw strikes to us instead of chasing out of the zone.”
Freshman reliever Aaron Wagner came in close out the game for the Raiders in the 8th inning.
The freshman reliever ended the game by pitching 2.0 innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two.
This is the type of performance Moorpark envisioned coming into this season. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistencies didn’t allow it to play out as expected.
“We’ve just had a tough season,” Teobaldi said.
With the playoffs out of reach, the Raiders are looking to finish the season strong and build momentum going into next season.
“We don’t do anything differently,” head coach Mario Porto said. “Why? Because we have guys returning. It’s just the mindset of keep working and keep doing the right things cause there’s always carryover value [towards next season].”
The next opportunity for victory is on Thursday, April 18 when the Raiders go on the road for another non-conference matchup against the Rio Hondo Roadrunners. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
To ride along with the Raiders as the season winds down, their schedule and game scores can be found on CCCBCA.com.
