Baseball: Roadrunners edged 12-11 in East LA series finale

Rio Hondo College couldn't hold on to a late lead on Saturday and suffered a 12-11 loss at East Los Angeles College in the final game of a three-game South Coast Conference series.

East Los Angeles took two out of three games to earn the series victory. Saturday's defeat dropped the Roadrunners to 9-21 overall and 5-14 in the SCC North Division standings.

A huge six-run rally in the top of the fifth inning gave Rio Hondo an 11-6 lead over the Huskies. Jorge Centeno hit a RBI single to tie up the game at 6-6 before Jesus Maldonado's two-run double put the Roadrunners ahead. Jordan Salgado provided the big blow of the frame, a three-run home run to cap Rio Hondo's scoring and supply the Roadrunners a five-run advantage.

But East Los Angeles came right back to score two runs in the bottom of the fifth, two more in the sixth, and completed its comeback with two final runs in the eighth to take the lead for good.

Despite the loss, Rio Hondo tied a season-high with 16 hits in the contest. Centeno (3-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI), Maldonado (3-for-6, 3 RBI, 2 R), and Christian Tinnin (3-for-4, 2 R) all had three hits for the Roadrunners. Salgado had a good game at the plate, leading Rio Hondo with 4 RBI while going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.

Nick Juarez went just 2 2/3 innings for the Roadrunners in the start. He allowed six runs and six hits in the no decision. Josh Yorba was given the loss after allowing two runs and a hit in 1/3 inning.

Five games remain on the 2019 schedule for the Roadrunners. They'll take a break from conference play with a pair of non-conference games next week. On Wednesday (Apr. 17), the Roadrunners host Oxnard College at 2:30 p.m. and on Thursday (Apr. 18) take on Moorpark College also at home, starting at 2 p.m.