File photo by Chris Burt
By Steve Ramirez, SGVN
BAKERSFIELD – There will be a time when the Rio Hondo College baseball team will look back at arguably the best season in school history and feel good about what it accomplished.
But not today.
Josh Silver had an RBI single and Phillip Roa an RBI double in the 12th inning and Cosumnes River College won its first California Community College Athletic Association state title Sunday with an 8-6 victory over Rio Hondo at Bakersfield College.
The Hawks finished 28-16 and secured the north’s third consecutive CCCAA title. It the first three-peat for the north since Fresno City won consecutive championships in 1961, ’62 and ’63.
The Roadrunners, getting five hits and an RBI from Andrew Stein and three hits and an RBI from former South Hills High standout Cody Doyle, finished 40-5. Rio Hondo’s accolades this season include winning 33 consecutive games from February to this weekend and going 24-0 in winning the Foothill Conference for the third time in three years.
This was the Roadrunners’ second trip to the CCCAA Final Four in three seasons and their first time in the championship game.
“This is disappointing for the next day or so,” Rio Hondo coach Mike Salazar said. “But it’s one game, and in the whole season we won 40.
“Yes, only one team can be happy when the season’s over, so disappointing right now. But as you look back on the whole (season) entirely our (guys) did a great job.”
Cosumnes River was just a bit better Sunday and responded like good teams do by escaping a bases-loaded situation in the 11th and winning it in the 12th.
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