photo by Mike Daly
SUSANVILLE, Calif. – The Shasta College baseball team were swept by Lassen College in a three-game Golden Valley Conference series over the weekend to fall below .500 in GVC play for the first time since March 4.
The Knights fell to the Cougars 5-2 on Friday and lost 4-3 and 7-0 in a doubleheader Saturday to drop to 9-11 in GVC and 14-21 overall. Shasta lost all five games against Lassen this season.
Lassen 5, Shasta 2
The Knights struck first with a two-run second inning on RBI doubles from Eric Spencer and Shawn Florence. But the Cougars scored the final five runs, handing starter Max Holtzclaw the loss to drop him to 2-3 on the mound this season. Holtzclaw struck out five, walked two and allowed three earned runs on two hits in five innings. Sam Wells gave up two runs on five hits in four innings of relief.
Spencer was 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run and Brandon Anderson was 3 for 5. Hunter Rasica scored the other run.
Lassen's Connor Fleharty got the win, allowing two runs on nine hits across seven frames.
Lassen 4, Shasta 3
Shasta took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning with Jerred Bloom scoring on an error and Austin Healy driving in Payton Edwards. Lassen answered with a two-run eighth, scoring the go-ahead run on a bases loaded single.
Josh Gonzales took the loss for the Knights, giving up two runs in one inning of relief. Shasta starter Kolby Button went seven innings and gave up one earned run on seven hits while striking out six and walking none.
Anderson was 2 for 5 with a double and a run, Healy was 2 for 5 with two RBIs, Jakob Weiser was 2 for 4, Bloom was 2 for 4 with a double and a run, and Edwards was 1 for 4 with a run.
Lassen 7, Shasta 0
The Knights scattered eight hits from eight players and were shut out for the fourth time this season. Anthony Becerra was credited with the defeat on the mound for Shasta after giving up four earned runs in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked one. Anderson was 1 for 4 with a double.
Shasta, which has dropped four straight, opens a three-game series against College of the Redwoods on Friday. The Knights won the two earlier meetings by a combined score of 14-4.
GVC Standings
#7 Feather River 15-4, 25-9
#15 Butte 12-8, 19-16
Lassen 12-8, 18-17
Shasta 9-11, 14-21
Redwoods 6-14, 13-22
Siskiyous 5-14, 12-18
*CCCBCA NorCal rankings