Bulldogs Beat Merced 8-4 to Close Spring Classic

(Santa Maria, CA) Ryan Welker collected three hits, while Cameron Ketchen and Felipe Gonzalez added two apiece to lead the Allan Hancock College baseball team to an 8-4 win over Merced to close out the annual AHC Spring Classic on Wednesday at John Osborne Field. The Bulldogs who are ranked No.13 in the Southern California Regional Coaches Poll improved to 22-11-1 overall. Hancock has won two in a row and six of its last seven games. Merced, the No.13 team in the NorCal Regional, dropped to 19-13.

Merced took an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the third inning against Hancock starter Jesse Clingman. He was relieved by Cabrillo High School graduate Henry Fienga in the fourth inning after allowing five hits and two runs. Fienga threw four solid innings of relief to earn the victory as the Hancock bats came alive in the middle innings.

The Bulldogs regained the lead for good with three runs in the fourth inning when Welker and Gonzalez singled and Ryan Bendele was hit by a pitch. Ketchen and Kyle Smith followed with RBI-groundouts and the third run scored on an error by the second baseman on a ball hit by Brooks Fages.

Hancock added two more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Bendele and a RBI-single from Ketchen to make it 5-2. The Bulldogs added two more in the sixth one of which came on a sacrifice fly off to right field the bat of Jacob Witkowski. Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly to left in the eighth inning to make it an 8-2 game.

Merced added two runs in the ninth, but the game ended when Joseph Salmeri legged out a two-run triple and was called out for not touching the second base bag.

Ryan Bower threw a scoreless eighth inning for Hancock with one strikeout. John Drury threw the ninth inning for the Bulldogs allowing one walk, two hits and two runs.  

Hancock was outhit 9-8 in the victory. Welker was 3 for 5 with two runs, Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with two runs and one RBI, while Ketchen was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Also on Wednesday, No.11 Cypress defeated No.18 Canyons 3-2 at Hancock and No.12 Fresno crushed No.4 East Los Angeles 13-0 at Elks Field.

The Bulldogs return to Western State Conference action next Tuesday, April 22, at Ventura. The Bulldogs host the Pirates on Thursday, April 24, at 2:30 p.m. in their regular season finale.