The second place Los Medanos College Mustangs took an early lead and didn’t look back as they beat the first place College of Marin Mariners 13-5 in the first of a three game series. After the win the Mustangs and Mariners are now tied for first place in the Bay Valley league, both with records at 24-13. 

Riley Cleary’s pitching and hitting were key to the win as he pitched seven innings, giving up 11 hits on two earned runs, and three strikeouts, along with four hits on six at-bats, with an RBI.  

In the bottom of the first the Mustangs grabbed the lead with a Jonathan Allen hit to right field, driving in Cleary for the first run of the game.  

It stayed a 1-0 game until the third inning when the Mariners scored their first run off an RBI single up the middle. LMC answered in the bottom of the inning when Antone Self singled to left field, for an RBI. 

But they didn’t stop there. After Marin went scoreless in the top of the fourth, the Stangs came right back with RBI’s by both Deon White, and Riley Cleary. In addition, Cleary scored on a passed ball to put them ahead 5-1. 

Marin scored in the fifth on an error by third baseman Self, but once again the Stangs picked up their teammate and scored a run on White’s sacrifice bunt to put them up 6-2. 

Jason Ochoa got hot in the bottom of the sixth with a double to right-center, scoring both Gabe Taylor and Jonathan Allen on the line drive to center field. 

But Marin fought back to get another run in the seventh only to have the Mustangs answer with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh off a passed ball by the Marin catcher, as well as a sacrifice by Sawyer Olson, and a sacrifice fly to center by Ochoa making the game 11-3. 

Even that wasn’t enough for the Mustangs as they managed to get two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a line drive double by Olson, giving them a 13-3 lead.  

But Marin wasn’t going out without a fight and scored two more runs in the top of the ninth but that wouldn’t be enough as Llewelyn Slone closed it out to give LMC the win with a final of 13-5. 

“Riley was both pitching and hitting the ball great today,” said red-shirt freshman Victor Anguiano. “He had good movement on all of his pitches and that’s all you can ask for in a pitcher.” 

LMC looks toward a good playoff run and hopes to claim first place in the final standings for the Bay Valley League as they head towards the final stretch of the season.