Indians late inning rally seals the win

On Tuesday, the Chipola baseball team traveled to face non-conference opponent Chattahoochee Valley Community College, who entered the contest undefeated. The Indians broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth, scoring two runs, and handing the Pirates their first loss of the season.

Cameron Gray started out on the mound for the Indians and threw four innings, striking out two, walking one, and giving up five hits and three earned runs. 

The Pirates took an early lead scoring one run in each of the first two innings. Chipola was held scoreless until the fourth inning, when Matthew Garcia started the Indians rally with a single up the middle. After Paxton Tomain's sac bunt moved Garcia to second, two-way player Cameron Gray singled to put runners at the corners. Lyle Miller-Green picked up an RBI on a groundout to third that scored Garcia and moved Gray to second. Dylan Goldstein doubled with two outs to score Gray and tie the game at two. 

The Pirates retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Brett Pitts solo homerun.

Chipola answered in the sixth inning after Cameron Gray reached on an error with one out and Dylan Goldstein hit his third homerun of the season to put the Indians up 4-3.

The Pirates once again tied the game on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. With one out and Chatt Valley looking to do more damage, Michael Esposito, the Indians' third relief pitcher of the day, entered the game and struck out the next two batters, leaving the bases loaded.

Chipola would take the lead for good in the eighth inning. With one out, Goldstein walked and Alfonso Villalobos doubled to left field, putting two runners in scoring position. Andre Tarver singled with two outs to right scoring both runners and putting the Indians up 6-4.

Matthew Garcia was 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Dylan Goldstein finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and scored twice. Villalobos also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Esposito (1-0) picked up his first win in an Indians uniform throwing 1.2 innings, striking out three Pirates' hitters and allowing no hits, runs or walks.

Cedric De Grandpre threw a perfect innning in the bottom of the ninth for the Indians, earning his second save of the season. 

#3 Chipola now sits at 15-2 on the season and hosts San Jacinto College (10-3), ranked twelfth in the NJCAA preseason rankings. The Indians will play a three-game series against the Gators, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 PM followed by a single game on Sunday at 11 AM.