Long Beach City College saw a promising 2016 season come to an end with a 3-0 loss to the No. 9-seeded Bakersfield College Renegades on Saturday in Game 2 of the Southern California Regional playoffs. Bakersfield took the series 2-0 to advance while the No. 8 seed Vikings close out a conference championship season with a 24-14 overall record.
For the second consecutive game, Long Beach couldn't get their bats going against the Renegades. BC ace Austin Toerner (7-1) held the Vikings to just five hits and got some help by his defense to post the shutout.
Tai Tiedemann (Poly HS) took the loss for the Vikings to end his season at 7-3 despite going the distance. Bakersfield rattled him for 11 hits on the game and came through in the clutch when needed.
Bakersfield broke a scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning (BC was the designated home team for the game) when Jassen Oliver put down a perfect two-out bunt to score Harrison Smith.
Hanz Harker hit a RBI double to drive in Kyle James in the seventh and the Renegades added an insurance run in the eighth thanks to a single by Jacob Herrera that scored Smith.
Long Beach couldn't capitalize on its limited chances in the game. With the Vikings down 1-0 in the sixth, Tiedemann launched a shot into the right-center field gap, but Bakersfield right fielder Brooks Douglas made an amazing running catch to rob Tiedemann of extra bases and a run. The Renegades were able to double up Tony Monroy (Warren HS), who was on his way to third base from first, to end the inning.
LBCC had one last shot to tie up the game when Tiedemann and freshman Vincent Byrd II (Sacramento, CA/El Camino HS) hit back-to-back singles with one out in the top of the ninth. But Toerner got freshman Gavin Windes (St. John Bosco HS) to hit into a game-ending double play to halt the Vikings' hope for a comeback.
It was rough ending for the South Coast Conference champion Vikings. LBCC won its third consecutive SCC title and reached the postseason for the third straight year as well under 23rd-year head coach Casey Crook.