Panthers Riding Three-Game Winning Streak, Take on Victor Valley Next

The Chaffey baseball team, currently 9-3-1, continues to impress on the field with a mix of solid hitting and strong pitching. They return on the field today against Victor Valley College with the first pitch scheduled at 2:00 p.m.

The Panthers are on a red-hot three-game winning streak.  They've outscored their opponents 20-2, including two consecutive shutouts against Mt. San Jacinto College (12-0) and San Diego City College (4-0). Over the weekend, they won a hard-fought 4-2 victory against Mt. San Jacinto College. Head coach Andrew Smith acknowledged the effort, saying, "We're not quite where we want to be with the bats, but I told the guys that good teams find ways to win when it's not going our way." He added, "Good teams win the ugly and messy games, and we did that against Mt. San Jacinto this weekend." Smith also called out Ryan Harrison, who pitched 5 innings with 6 strikeouts to improve his record to 2-0, and Ryder Young, who went 4-5 with 1 run and 1 RBI.

In a related note, after a tough 13-9 loss to Mt. San Jacinto College earlier in the week, Smith commended the work of Assistant Coach Zachary Tapia. "Coach Tapia has done an outstanding job helping our pitching staff adjust this week," Smith stated. "He deserves a ton of credit for that." Smith adds that while the team has talented pitchers capable of winning games, they need to throw with more conviction and confidence to reach the next level. He also acknowledged the pitching staff is a big part of the success this season, considering them the overall MVPs so far.