BEAVERS WIN BIG AT HOME     

American River College got back in the win column on Friday with a 9-1 victory over the visiting Yuba College 49ers.  It was the two teams first meeting since 2019.  The Beavers scored early and often, keeping the pressure on Yuba, meanwhile sophomore LHP Anthony Ocanas (Woodland) was getting the Beavers defense off the field as quickly as possible.  Ocanas went 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and struck out 8 without allowing a run.  He picked up his second victory of the season.  Offensively, ARC scored single runs in each of the first 4 innings, then coming up with a big 4 run 7^th inning and added another run in the 8^th.  Sophomore 3B Brett Griffiths (Jesuit) led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole 2^nd and scored when sophomore RF Wyatt Bahlke (Woodcreek) hit into a bases loaded fielders choice to plate the first of his 2 RBI on the day.  After the Beavers scored on an error in the 2^nd inning and a wild pitch in the 3^rd, they got a run in the 4^th thanks to a two out single by freshman DH Joey Guarienti (Vista del Lago) whose single to right center was his first collegiate hit, followed by a triple down the right field line by Griffiths.  ARC was held scoreless in the 5^th and 6^th innings but in the 7^th the Beavers used a one out double by sophomore C Duncan Hansen (Del Campo) followed by an RBI double by Bahlke to go up 5-0.  After an infield single by freshman 2B Jayden Reynolds (Bella Vista) sophomore SS Darin Eales (Bear Creek) doubled to left to drive in a pair.  American River added another run in the 8^th.  Freshman RHP Jose Vega (Highlands) worked a scoreless 8^th inning but sophomore RHP Danny Valenze (Whitney) could not quite hold the shutout, allowing a run in the 9^th before getting the final out to seal the win.

The Beavers travel to San Francisco to play Skyline College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.  The two have not met since the 2000 season, when the Beavers last went to the State Final Four.