Porterville pulls away from Taft with three-run seventh in 8-4 result
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POR | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| TAF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Porterville College broke open a tight game with a three-run seventh inning and handed Taft College an 8-4 loss Tuesday afternoon at Cougar Field. The decisive swing came from Zayne Thornton, whose three-run home run turned a two-run game into a 7-2 Porterville lead and gave the visitors needed separation late.
Taft struck first in the opening inning when Zaden Sibal scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. Porterville answered quickly in the second. Leandro Lopez connected on a two-run homer that scored Julian Nevarez and moved the visitors in front 2-1. Taft got one run back in the bottom of the second to make it 2-2, but Tyler Stansberry's solo home run in the third pushed Porterville back ahead, and the visitors stayed in control from there.
The game remained within reach into the middle innings before Porterville added on in the fifth. Nevarez delivered an RBI single that scored John Paul Miller for a 4-2 lead. Taft created chances throughout the afternoon, finishing with 10 hits and six walks, but the Cougars left 14 runners on base and could not find the timely hit often enough to erase the deficit.
Thornton's home run in the seventh was the turning point. His three-run shot stretched the margin to 7-2 and capped Porterville's biggest inning of the day. Nevarez added an insurance run in the eighth with another RBI single, again bringing home Miller. Porterville finished with 12 hits, three home runs and eight runs, with Nevarez leading the way by going 4 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Thornton had two hits and three RBIs, while Lopez and Stansberry each homered.
Porterville also got a steady outing on the mound from Ethan Chavez, who worked seven innings in the start. Chavez allowed eight hits and two runs while striking out five and walking four before Nathan Martin closed out the final two innings. Porterville's staff combined for 10 strikeouts and held Taft to two earned runs.
Taft made one last push in the ninth when J'Den Briones lined a two-run double to cut the deficit to 8-4, but the rally stopped there. The Cougars finished with 10 hits, including Briones' late extra-base hit, after drawing within four in their final at-bat.
