The sophomore’s farewell game didn’t go as planned for the Raiders as they fell to the Santa Barbara Vaqueros 9-4.
Both teams were tied 2-2 after three innings of play. A game that looked to be close took a detour for the Raiders as the final six innings didn’t go in their favor.
The game started to get shaky for the Raiders in the fifth inning.
Sophomore starting pitcher Jordan Berg allowed two more runs in the fifth inning and then one more in the sixth inning.
Head Coach Mario Porto pulled Berg after six innings to bring in freshman reliever Riley Stanford.
Berg’s final game as a Raider ended after 6.0 innings and allowing five runs on 13 hits.
After Berg’s exit, Stanford had the game under control for the first two innings of his outing. However, the game got more difficult for the freshman in the ninth inning.
Stanford was the pitcher responsible for three runs in the ninth inning.
Sophomore pitcher Josh Hammond then replaced Stanford in the ninth inning with two outs. Hammond allowed one more run to score, bringing the Vaqueros score to nine runs.
The Raiders entered the final inning of the season down 9-3.
Sophomore catcher Michael Teobaldi led off the final inning with a single. Sophomore OF Jayce Foster duplicated Teobaldi’s at-bat with a single of his own.
Next up to bat was freshman OF Zach Nissim. The freshman was able to hit a single to load the bases for the Raiders.
Freshman 3B Cameron Kinsner came up to the plate with the bases loaded and an opportunity to help mount a comeback.
He grounded out to first base while also bringing in Teobaldi to score.
Sophomore SS Dominic Ruggiero came up to the plate next with runners on second and third with two outs and the season on the line.
Ruggiero struck out as the Vaqueros threw their hats up into the air and ran onto the field to celebrate their third conference title in the past five seasons.
The Raiders suffered a tough loss to end the season but the Sophomores still enjoyed every moment representing Moorpark on the baseball field.
“I really enjoyed it [playing] two years here,” Ruggiero said. “I played every game the hardest. It didn’t come out our way this year but it was a fun year overall.”
One of the Sophomores who wasn’t able to participate in his final couple of games as a Raider was infielder James Terrazas.
Terrazas was sidelined with a hamstring injury but still had a positive outlook, reflecting on his favorite memory being on the team.
“Being with the guys day in and day out,” Terrazas said. “That’s one of the best parts of playing this game. You meet so many different types of people and create relationships that’ll last you a lifetime.”
A sophomore who was able to play in his final game as a Raider was Foster. The sophomore outfielder represented Moorpark College while also working two jobs to provide for his two children.
“It’s bittersweet. I went through a lot trying to provide for a family but still come out here every day and grind is definitely something I take pride in,” Foster said. “That’s one the thing I love about baseball. It teaches you to grow and change as a human being because the game is based upon failure. If you can make it through this, you can make it through quite a bit. I enjoyed every second of it.”
To see their box scores from this season, click here.
