No. 10 Citrus cruises past LA Valley 17-8 in series opener

No. 10 ranked Citrus College defeated Los Angeles Valley College 17-8 in Tuesday's three-game series opener at Citrus College. The Owls improve to 25-10 overall and 12-4 in conference.

Citrus used a power surge at the plate and a strong start on the mound to roll past LA Valley.

After surrendering an unearned run in the first inning, Citrus responded quickly in the second when Matt Kaneshiro launched a three-run home run, his first of the season, to give the Owls a 3-1 lead.

LA Valley trimmed the deficit to one in the third, but Citrus answered immediately. Joe Gilkeson delivered a three-run homer in the bottom half to extend the advantage to 6-2.

The Owls broke the game open in the fourth inning behind their biggest swing of the day. Jordan Daniels crushed a grand slam to push the lead to 10-2, and Cam Casado followed later in the inning with a solo shot.

Citrus continued to add on in the fifth, capitalizing on multiple wild pitches and a bases-loaded walk by Nick Velazquez to stretch the lead to 15-2. Koyo Taniguchi capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the seventh, also his first of the season.

Citrus totaled 17 runs despite recording just eight hits, drawing 12 walks and taking advantage of multiple wild pitches to keep constant pressure on LA Valley.

Daniels paced the offense with a grand slam — his seventh home run of the season — along with four RBIs and three runs scored, while also adding a stolen base. Gilkeson finished 2-for-4 with a home run, his fifth of the season, and three RBIs, while Kaneshiro drove in three runs on his three-run shot.

Taniguchi added a two-run homer, and Casado chipped in with a solo blast, his team-leading 10th of the season, as part of a one-hit, one-RBI performance. Velazquez reached base safely in all four plate appearances via walks, scoring three times and driving in a run.

Garrett Patterson went 1-for-1 with two runs scored and a stolen base, while Derek Almeda scored twice and added a hit and a walk. Cole West and Dustin Yela each crossed the plate once, with West drawing two walks at the top of the order.

On the mound, Tim Hudson (W, 6-1) earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits over five innings while walking one and striking out two. Matthew Martinez followed with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three.

Citrus used multiple arms late, with Gabe Buranasiri striking out three in the ninth inning to close out the game. Despite a late rally from LA Valley, the Owls maintained control throughout.

Citrus will travel to LA Valley for game two of the series on Thursday, April 16. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.