Condors lose in OT, but gain playoff positioning; Fresno State defeats CSUB baseball; HS Baseball, Softball standings
The Bakersfield Condors lost an AHL Pacific Division road game, 3-2 in overtime, against the Henderson Silver Knights on Tuesday and that is good for the Condors' playoff positioning push.
Even in an overtime defeat, the Condors picked up a point in the standings to 83 points. Bakersfield (36-23-10) has two games left. The Condors, who are currently in fifth place, will face fellow playoff qualifier San Jose twice, at home on Friday and in San Jose for the regular-season finale Saturday. Both games start at 7 p.m. If the Condors win Friday, they'll qualify for the 4-5 seed playoff series. San Jose (39-27-2) currently has 82 points.
Bakersfield team captain Seth Griffith scored his 18th goal of the season with 40 seconds left in regulation on assists from Roby Jarventie and Quinn Hutson to the game at 2 and send the game to overtime.
Henderson's Raphael Lavoie scored the game-winning goal on a power play with 1:04 remaining in the five-minute overtime. The teams combined for eight shots in the extra frame.
Bakersfield scored the game's first goal on the power play when Viljami Marjala tipped in a shot by Atro Leppanen 3:57 into the second period. Hutson also assisted on the goal. It was Marjala's 16th goal of the season.
Henderson scored twice in the third period, including Trevor Connelly's unassisted goals just 1:18 in, to tie the game at 1. Kai Uchacz gave Henderson the 2-1 lead on a power-play goal 8:50 in.
In a separate note regarding the Condors, two players, left wing Isaac Howard and right wing Quinn Hutson, were named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team on Wednesday. The team was voted on by players, coaches and media.
Howard has 47 points in 45 games (22 goals, 25 assists) and Hutson leads all rookies in the league with 30 goals. He also has 31 assists for 61 total points, which puts him second in the league among rookies. Both players have also been called up for stints in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers.
This is the second time the Condors have placed two rookies on the AHL All-Rookie Team after Tyler Benson and Shane Starrett were selected to the 2018-19 team. Max Gildon (2020-21) is the only other Condor to receive All-Rookie Team recognition.
CSUB baseball
The Roadrunners completed a five-game road stretch of their schedule that culminated on Tuesday with a 10-6 nonconference loss against Fresno State.
It started well with a two-run home run by Devon Wilkes in the first inning, but Fresno State followed with a three-run second inning and two more runs in the fourth. CSUB tied it in the fifth and took a 6-5 lead in the sixth inning.
CSUB got an RBI single by Carter Jorissen, Adam Salazar drew a bases-loaded walk and Elgin Bennett had a sacrifice fly for its runs in the fifth. Wilkes' sixth-inning double scored Elijah Pelayo. Wilkes finished 3 for 5 at the plate and scored two runs.
But Fresno State pulled away on a three-run homer by Sky Collins in the seventh off CSUB pitcher Dante Jackson (0-1) and the Bulldogs got an RBI single and triple in the eighth inning.
CSUB used 10 pitchers in the game. Fresno State used seven, but Jordan Haver went three innings to get the decision.
The Roadrunners (15-22 overall) are home for a Big West Conference weekend series against Hawaii (18-14, 8-10 Big West). CSUB is 6-9 in conference play and is right behind the Rainbows in the standings. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
CSUB women's beach volleyball
The Roadrunners traveled to Los Angeles' Mapes Beach and faced the nation's No. 1 ranked team, the UCLA Bruins, in a non-conference match on Tuesday. CSUB lost, 5-0, to the Bruins, who improved to 26-4 after the victory.
CSUB's season record fell to 10-22 after the loss. All five matches were two-set victories, but the No. 4 CSUB team of Olivia Ostler and Emma Neville battled UCLA's Hannah Fleming and Alexa Fernandez to a 22-20 result in their second set.
The Roadrunners will conclude their regular-season schedule with a pair of home matches Saturday, CSUB Senior Day, at 10 a.m. against Cal State Northridge and at 2:30 p.m. against University of the Pacific.
Taft College softball
The Cougars split a Central Valley Conference road doubleheader against College of the Sequoias in Visalia on Tuesday. Taft lost the opener, 12-4, in six innings and then put together a 6-4 victory in game two.
Taft outhit COS 12-9 in the opener, but the Giants scored five runs in the second and added six in the sixth inning to claim the victory.
In the second game, Taft's bats again produced 12 hits, including six doubles, in the win. Taft broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fifth inning on doubles by Keona Comilang for two runs and Jasmine Estrada's extra-base hit scoring Comilang. COS got two back to make it 4-3 Taft, but Estrada had a run-scoring single and Keira Santos had an RBI single in the seventh.
Taft (22-14-1, 7-7 CVC) plays a CVC game at 2:30 p.m. Thursday against Fresno City.
High schools
Baseball: The league leaders in the local area are Foothill (2-0) in the South Yosemite Horizon League; Tehachapi (7-0) in the South Yosemite Mountain League; Liberty, which opened South Yosemite River League play just this week after doing a league crossover series with Independence last week, looked to build onto its 1-0 start Wednesday following a 1-0 win over Frontier on Monday. The teams played at Frontier Wednesday and will close out the week Friday at Liberty. Stockdale, meanwhile, took a 3-1 mark into its Wednesday game at Garces. the South Yosemite Valley League's top team, Bakersfield Christian, took a 3-1 record into its second game of a SYVL series with Highland on Wednesday; Bishop Union leads the High Desert League with a 6-1 mark. Bishop plays Boron, Kern Valley hosts California City, Rosemond hosts Desert, all three games are at 3:15 p.m., and Frazier Mountain will host Santa Maria in a 3:30 p.m. non-league game, all on Friday. Cesar Chavez leads the South Sequoia League standings with a 6-0 mark, but won't play its next league game until next week. Wasco is 6-1 in the SSL and it will play at 6:30 p.m. today at Taft.
Softball: Highland and Bakersfield Christian went into Wednesday's South Yosemite Valley League game wants to seize the league lead in the early going. Both were 2-0. Another key league softball series is taking place this week in the South Yosemite River League. Garces and Stockdale, both 2-0, met Wednesday night at Garces and will play again at 4 p.m. Friday at Stockdale; Tehachapi and South are the top two teams in the South Yosemite Mountain League at 3-0. the teams won't meet until May 5 and 7; Three teams enter today's play in South Yosemite Horizon League play without a loss in league, led by Golden Valley at 2-0. Foothill and Arvin each have won a game in league. California City leads the High Desert League with a 7-0 mark with Kern Valley just behind them at 4-1. The two teams will meet at Kern Valley at 3:15 p.m. Friday. California City beat the Broncs 7-2 in their last HDL meeting. Wasco and Shafter are both 5-0 in South Sequoia League play. They won't meet until May 5 and 7.
Swimming: One of the better swim meet match-ups of local teams takes place at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center pool downtown when South Yosemite River League foes Liberty and Garces meet.
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