Almeda Leads 22-Hit Surge as Citrus Eliminates Pasadena City

Citrus College Baseball defeated Pasadena City College 14-5 on Friday, May, 1 to eliminate the Lancers from the 3C2A Southern California Regional and advance in postseason play.

The win marks Citrus' first Southern California Regional victory in 15 years.

Now 31-10, the Owls entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed in Southern California Regional Site 7 and will face No. 2-seeded Cypress College in a best-of-three series beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. Game two is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m., with a deciding game three at 3 p.m., if necessary.

Citrus wasted no time taking control, scoring in six different innings and building an 11-0 lead through the first four frames.

Derek Almeda sparked the early surge with a two-run home run in the first inning, and Nick Velazquez added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to make it 3-0.

The Owls continued their offensive rhythm in the second, as Cole West drove in a run with a single before Almeda added an RBI single of his own. Jordan Daniels followed with another RBI hit to extend the lead to 6-0.

After adding an unearned run in the third, Citrus broke the game open in the fourth. Almeda launched his second home run of the day, Jackson Gray contributed a sacrifice fly and Velazquez capped the inning with a two-run homer to push the advantage to 11-0.

Pasadena City responded with four runs in the fifth inning, but Citrus quickly answered. Garrett Patterson delivered an RBI double in the sixth, and Cam Casado added a two-run home run in the seventh to seal the 14-5 victory.

Almeda led the offensive explosion, going 5-for-6 with two home runs — his third and fourth of the season — along with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored. Western State Conference South Player of the Year, Cam Casado added a 4-for-5 performance, including his team-leading 12th home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. West set the tone at the top of the lineup, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Daniels also recorded two hits, driving in a run and adding a stolen base. Velazquez contributed across the board, going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and a sacrifice fly. Gray added a 2-for-3 effort with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Dustin Yela finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Garrett Patterson chipped in with an RBI double, and Julian Hines recorded a hit in his lone at-bat off the bench. Royce Mendoza also added a hit and scored a run.

Citrus totaled 22 hits, including five doubles and four home runs, while applying consistent pressure on the bases. Daniels and Dominic Torrez each recorded a stolen base.

On the mound, Sean York went 4.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits while striking out four. Evan Ellis (W, 3-1) earned the win with 2.2 scoreless innings in relief, and Marcus Reese closed the game with five strikeouts over the final two innings, allowing one unearned run.

Citrus pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts while limiting Pasadena City to six hits and no home runs.

The Owls will look to extend their 12-game winning streak when they open their series against Cypress on Saturday.