BAKERSFIELD, CA- The Bakersfield College baseball team opened the 2024 season by splitting a doubleheader with Moorpark College on Friday at Gerry Collis Field.
The Renegades dropped Game 1 of the twin bill, 6-4 in 10 innings, before defeating the Corsairs in Game 2, 12-6.
BC freshman catcher Ben Ullyott had an excellent college debut, combining to go 4 for 10 with 5 RBI over the two games. He had two hits in each of the games.
Jordan Mora scattered seven hits and allowed 0 earned runs in 6.2 innings to earn the Game 2 win. John Aldrete pitched the final 2.1 innings without allowing an earned run to get the save.
The Renegades jumped ahead early in both games.
In the first game, BC scored three runs in the first inning to take a 3-1 lead. Ullyott put the Renegades ahead 2-1 on a two-run triple down the rightfield line. One batter later, Mora hit a sacrifice fly to extend BC's lead.
The Renegades tacked on another run in the sixth inning before the Raiders found success against BC reliever Elliott Radney, scoring one run in the seventh inning and two in the eighth off the freshman righthander from Bakersfield Christian High School.
With the score tied 4-4, the Renegades had a golden opportunity to get a walk-off win in the ninth. But with runners on second and third and two outs, Shane Heriford grounded out to the pitcher, sending the game to extra innings.
Moorpark quickly ended things in the 10th, scoring two runs against Anthony Burgueno before holding the Renegades scoreless in the bottom of the inning.
Game 2 saw BC pull out to a 4-0 lead after three innings, with Ullyott, Heriford, Luis "Tito" Fuentes, and Josh Gaeta each knocking in a run with a hit.
Santa Monica answered with a four-run fifth inning to tie things before the Renegades scored two runs in the sixth, 1 in the seventh, and 5 in the eighth to pull back ahead for good.
Heriford and Dadjael Salcedo had three hits a piece in the two games. Salcedo had a pair of doubles in the second game.
Six other BC players had two hits on the day, including Mora, who struck out six batters and walked one during his time on the mound.
Nineteen of the Renegades' 23 hits during the doubleheader were by freshmen.
Prior to the start of Game 1, a moment of silence was observed for legendary BC baseball and football coach Gerry Collis, who passed away on Tuesday at age 93 after a long illness. The BC baseball field is named after Collis.
The Renegades return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Visalia to face College of the Sequoias. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
