Magana homers twice to lead Rio Hondo to 9-3 win over LA Harbor
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
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1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 9 | 8 | 3 |
WHITTIER — Ruben Magana had himself a game.
The Rio Hondo College third baseman went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI, single-handedly providing the offensive engine that carried the Roadrunners to a 9-3 victory over Los Angeles Harbor on Saturday at "The Jungle." The win improved Rio Hondo to 6-15 overall and 2-7 in South Coast Conference play.
Magana wasted little time making his presence felt. After LA Harbor tied the game in the top of the second on a Mateo Rodriguez RBI single — aided by an error — Magana responded immediately in the bottom half with a solo shot, his first of the season, to put the Roadrunners back on top 2-1.
The game remained tight heading into the fifth, knotted at 2-2 after LA Harbor's Christian Hernandez scored on a double play in the fourth. That's when Rio Hondo blew the game open.
Andy Becerra reached on a Harbor error to start the fifth, and a sacrifice from Danyal Jenkins moved him to third. After a passed ball and an Anthony Baez RBI single made it 3-2, pinch hitter Lucius Mika lofted a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4-2. Then Magana stepped in against reliever Ronnie Ogusuku and launched a three-run shot — his second homer of the game — to make it 7-2 and effectively ice things. The five-run inning sent the crowd of 10,000 at The Jungle into a frenzy.
Rio Hondo added single runs in the seventh and eighth to put the final margin at nine, with Becerra adding a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Nicholas Gonzales delivering an RBI double in the eighth. Gonzales finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk, while Baez went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two sacrifices in a productive night at the plate.
On the mound, starter Sebastian Zamorano worked four solid innings, allowing two runs on three hits before giving way to E.J. Felix, who earned the win by tossing two scoreless frames. Dominic Elias added a clean seventh, and Efren Miranda and Eric Hernandez closed it out.
The victory closed out a three-game South Coast Conference series against the Seahawks with Harbor taking the first two. Rio Hondo is back in action on Tuesday (March 10) when the Roadrunners travel to College of the Desert for a 2 p.m. non-conference game.