Baseball: Eight-run second-inning lifts Rio Hondo to Game 2 win at Barstow

Rio Hondo College won its fourth straight game after an eight-run, second-inning lifted the Roadrunners to a 16-5 Foothill Conference win at Barstow College on Thursday. The victory improved Rio Hondo to 15-11 overall and 10-4 in conference play.

Rio Hondo totaled 13 hits in the game but also took advantage of four Barstow errors to aid in the win. The Roadrunners jumped on Barstow starting pitcher Austin Nazabal early to score three runs in the top of the first. Rio Hondo had just one hit in the frame but Nazabal issued three walks while a two-out error allowed a run to score. Fernando Rosales' bases-loaded walk forced in a run while Randy Buenrostro hit a sac fly to drive in another.

Barstow came back with four runs in the bottom of the first to retake the lead before the Roadrunners' big second inning put them back out in front for good.

Rio Hondo sent 12 batters to the plate and banged out five hits on its way to eight runs. Rosales, Buenrostro, David Ornelas, and R.J. Romo all run-scoring hits for the Roadrunners in the inning.

Jordan Abernathy lined a two-run single in the fourth as part of a three-run inning and Ruben Rios added a RBI single to drive in one of two runs in the eighth.

Rios went a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate and added a pair of stolen bases for the Roadrunners while Romo, Abernathy, Rosales, and Buenrostro all drove in two runs.

Brady Carlson picked up the win to improve to 4-3 overall. He allowed five runs and five hits over six innings. Avery Vasquez pitched a pair of scoreless innings and Emilio Sansores closed out the win with two strikeouts in the ninth.

Rio Hondo goes for the three-game sweep on Saturday (Apr. 9) at 12 p.m. when the series returns to Whittier for the finale.