BEAVERS FLOP IN FINAL PRE-SEASON TEST

Less than 24 hours after playing a rock-solid game against Yuba College the American River College baseball team flipped the script and played one of their worst games of the season, falling to Skyline College in San Bruno 7-3.  The Beavers got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead when sophomore LF Marcus Babauta (St. Mary’s) singled home freshman DH Alex Olson (Bella Vista) who had walked and advanced on a passed ball.  The Trojans came right back however and scored three in the bottom of the 2^nd with the help of a walk and a hit batter from starter Luke Ostien (Rosemount, MN).  Skyline’s three runs came on just two hits, one of them a leadoff double.  Skyline extended the lead in the 4^th after a hot shot past sophomore SS Darin Eales (Bear Creek) was ruled a hit, Ostien then allowed a two-out, two-run home run to put the Beavers in a 5-1 hole.  The Beavers had a couple of defensive and mental miscues in the 6^th inning but sophomore RHP Tyler Moore (Del Campo) was able to get out of the inning uncscathed.  Skyline extended the lead in the 7^th when a fly ball was allowed to drop between CF Danny Gallego (Bear Creek) and the fence for an RBI triple.  A.R.C. did make the game interesting though as Eales doubled to right in the top of the 8^th to drive in a run and make the game 7-2.  In the 9^th the Beavers got a run on a bases loaded hit by pitch which brought up the hot hitting Wyatt Bahlke (Woodcreek), A.R.C.’s cleanup hitter with the bases loaded and a chance to tie the game but he struck out on a high fastball to end the game. 

The Beavers will now begin BIG 8 Conference play on Tuesday at Diablo Valley College at 2:00 p.m.