Roadrunners' rally comes up short in season opener at Porterville

PORTERVILLE — The Rio Hondo College Roadrunners opened the 2026 baseball season Friday with a 5-3 loss to the Porterville College Pirates on Friday afternoon in Porterville\.

Porterville scored in the first inning and broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run seventh to take control. Rio Hondo attempted to rally late, scoring once in the eighth and once again in the ninth, but was unable to complete the comeback.

The Roadrunners finished with six hits. Joshua Oh led the offense, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Mario Morton drove in Rio Hondo's first run with an RBI single in the sixth inning, tying the game at 1-1. Anthony Baez added an RBI single in the ninth and scored earlier in the eighth on a passed ball.

On the mound, Matthew Sandoval made the opening-day start for Rio Hondo and worked five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts. Gabriel Lizarraga pitched two innings in relief and was charged with three runs during Porterville's seventh-inning rally.

Porterville collected 13 hits and was led by Josh Myers, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Chris Blanco finished with three hits and an RBI, while Zayne Thornton drove in two runs.

Rio Hondo loaded the bases in the ninth inning but could not push across additional runs before the final out.

The Roadrunners, now 0-1 overall, are back in action this weekend (Jan. 24-25) when threy open a two-game series with Cerro Coso College.