STOCKTON--In a Monday non-conference match-up between two teams that likely will be playing into the month of May, San Joaquin Delta nipped visiting Feather River 3-2 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth.
Nicolas Regino singled home Kordell Brown to end a game between two of California's top junior college teams in a contest that justified the hype. The Mustangs, ranked No. 6 in the latest CCCSIA poll, improved to 22-7 on the season, while the Golden Eagles, listed No. 12 in the fourth poll of the season, fell to 23-7.
San Joaquin Delta is currently the league leader in the Big 8 Conference, while Feather River paces the Golden Valley Conference.
"It was a well played game between two very good teams," said FRC head coach Terry Baumgartner. "We came up short this time, but it was a great experience for our guys as we continue to work towards getting better every day."
The Golden Eagles struck first when Cooper Kitrel hit a solo shot to open up the top of the fourth. That 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the sixth when Kieran Davis doubled home a run for the Mustangs and Brenden O'Sullivan added an RBI-single to make it 2-1, Delta.
Feather River was just three outs away from a 2-1 loss with Kitrel struck again with a lead-off double in the ninth. Jerry Thomas moved him to third base with a ground ball and Cory McIntyre tied the contest at 2-2 with a solid hit to bring home Kitrel.
Earlier, Golden Eagle closer Jake Christianson came into the ball game ahead of his normal back end spot, entering in the bottom of the seventh. He promptly retired the next seven batters he faced, including two by strikeout, to take the game into the tenth inning. But Mustang pitcher Nate Morris put the Golden Eagles down in order in the top half of the tenth, bringing his team back up to the plate.
Brown's lead-off single and stolen base set up Regino to drive home the game winner to left before FRC could record an out. It was Christianson's first loss of the season (2-1) and only the sixth run he has given up all year.
The Golden Eagles had just five hits on the day, two of them by Kitrel. The switch-hitting rightfielder scored twice and drove in a run.
Feather River returns to conference play this coming weekend, hosting the Shasta College Knights on Friday (2 pm) and on Saturday for a doubleheader (1 pm).
