Baseball: Roadrunners win two to take SCC series from LA Harbor

WHITTIER – Rio Hondo College won a pair of one-run games to take a South Coast Conference series victory over Los Angeles Harbor College last week.

The Roadrunners got things going on Tuesday to beat the Seahawks 6-5 in the opener at home and followed that 3-2 victory in Wilmington on Thursday. Rio Hondo came up short in earning a sweep and suffered a 13-3 loss in Friday's finale in Whittier. (Recaps below)

Rio Hondo moved to 6-20 overall and 4-8 in South Coast Conference play. The Roadrunners are back in action on Tuesday (Mar. 26) at 2 p.m. to host Oxnard College in a non-conference game.

Game 1: Rio Hondo 6, LA Harbor 5
Edgardo Lorenzo and Adrian Luna both smashed home runs to help lead the Roadrunners to the opening-game win.

Rio Hondo jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings before the Seahawks put up four runs in the top of the fourth and a final run in the fifth. Matthew Leyva pitched well in the start and held LA Harbor scoreless the rest of the way while Lorenzo's solo homer in the bottom of the fourth proved to be the difference.

Leyva scattered 10 hits and 5 runs on his way to the complete-game victory. He improved to 4-2 on the season. Lorenzo was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI while Ryan Duron also drove in a pair, going 3 for 4.

Game 2: Rio Hondo 3, LA Harbor 2
Ramon Brion and Isaac Peinado combined to help pitch Rio Hondo to a narrow win on the road in Wilmington. Brion went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs and 8 hits with 6 strikeouts. Peinado closed it out, giving up just 2 hits over the final 3 innings for the save.

The game was scoreless until the sixth inning when Rio Hondo scored all three of its runs. The Roadrunners took advantage of an LA Harbor error and passed ball to score twice while Michael Salcedo knocked in a run with an RBI-single.

Salcedo went 3 for 4 with a walk, RBI, and run to lead Rio Hondo at the plate.

Harbor responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Brion was able to strand the tying run on base to get out of the jam before turning the game over to Peinado.

Game 3: LA Harbor 13, Rio Hondo 3
Rio Hondo led 3-2 after 3 innings but couldn't hold on for the win. Anthony Guzman smacked a two-run double in the third to give the Roadrunners the early advantage.

Jonny Covarrubias and Robby Ornelas had scoreless outings in relief.