MESA, Ariz. – It was a day of firsts for the Yavapai College baseball team as it defeated the El Paso Community College Tejanos 9-1 at Red Mountain High School for its first win of the season, first win of the Zinger Bat Invitational and first win for first-year Head Coach Patrick Woods. 

"It was a good first win," said Woods after the game. "We have played three solid games in a row and the team is buying into the process. It's great to get in the win column, Roughrider strong!"

With the victory, the Roughriders move to 1-2 on the season. 

Sophomore righty Barrett Skaugrud got the start on the mound for YC and set the tone. Skaugrud tossed five shutout innings and struck out 10 along the way while only allowing four hits with zero walks. 

After Skaugrud, freshman righty Loreto Siniscalchi, sophomore infielder Mitch Wood and sophomore righty Zach Hose combined for four innings of one-run ball while allowing just three hits. 

Offensively, the Roughriders scored early and often as Wood tripled in the bottom of the second and later scored on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore outfielder Blake Jacklin knocked in a run with a single and later scored on an RBI double off the bat of freshman outfielder Danny Schweitzer. 

The Roughriders carried their 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning before putting the contest out of reach. Sophomore outfielder Jude Hall launched a two-run homer to give YC a 5-0 advantage and was followed by a double from freshman catcher Wailele Kane-Yates. 

Kane-Yates then scored on an RBI single off the bat of sophomore infielder Ethan Thomas for a 6-0 lead. Another Roughrider would later score on an error in the inning to make it a four-run inning and 7-0 YC lead. 

In the bottom of the eighth, YC capitalized on some sloppy defense to push across two more runs and led 9-0 heading into the ninth. The Tejanos were able to push a run across in the frame, before bringing the game to its final score of 9-1. 

Thomas, freshman outfielder Zachary Dando and freshman infielder Quinn Allen all notched two-hit days while Hall, Kane-Yates, Jacklin, Wood and Schweitzer all finished with one. 

Up Next
The Roughriders face Salt Lake Community College tomorrow (February 5) at 10 a.m. at Sloan Park on the last day of the Zinger Bat Invitational.