Men’s Baseball

The Falcons hoped to conclude their three-games series against Sacramento City with a win on Friday afternoon, but those hopes were dashed early as the Panthers piled up 10 runs in the first four innings on their way to an 11-6 victory at Falcon Field. Falcon starter Cody Lindsey escaped a bases loaded jam in the first inning, but wasn't so lucky in the second as the Panthers tallied six runs on five hits in the inning. The Panthers tacked on four more runs in the fourth -all with two outs - by virtue of a Falcon error to take a commanding 10-2 lead. The Falcons managed to put four runs on the board over the final four innings, but it was a case of too little, too late. FLC freshman outfielder Aidan Malm continued his hot hitting with two more hits, including his first collegiate home run in the seventh inning.

After opening their Big 8 schedule with three losses to Sac City last week, the Falcons looked to get untracked against Sierra College yesterday in Rocklin. The Wolverines, however, were just as desperate for a win after losing three to Santa Rosa. Sierra jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but FLC freshman Carson McCusker erased that with his seventh home run of the season, a three-run blast that put the Falcons on top 3-2. That lead didn’t last long as Sierra tallied four in the third and added another in the fourth to go up 7-3. The Falcons closed the gap in the fifth with two runs on Greg Vaughn’s RBI double and McCusker’s sacrifice fly. A Jack Rotteveel solo home run in the sixth - his second of the season - pulled the Falcons within one, but that was as close as they would get. Sierra added a run in the seventh for the final 8-6 score.

With four RBI in the game, McCusker is now fourth in the state in that category and second in home runs.

The Falcons host College of Marin today at 2:00 pm in a non-conference rain make-up. They’ll face Sierra College at Falcon Field tomorrow at 2:30 pm.

Men’s Tennis

The Falcon men hosted Shasta College on Tuesday afternoon for their final Big 8 dual match of the season and improved their conference record to 4-1 with a 9-0 victory over the Knights. The only close match of the day was at #1 doubles, where Shawn Morgan and Josh Harder paired for the first time this season and pulled off a 9-8 victory. With the Big 8 round robin now concluded, the Falcons have secured the #2 seed in the Big 8 playoffs, meaning they will host a second-round Big 8 playoff match here at FLC on March 21. The Falcons make their annual road trip to southern California, with a day of spectating at the BNP Pro Tournament at Indian Wells and a match at Reedley College on Saturday as they return.

Women’s Softball

The FLC softball team had a case of ‘too little, too late’ yesterday at Cosumnes River College, where they lost 6-4 in a Big 8 Conference game. The Falcons spent the first six innings mostly spectating as they fell behind 6-0 before their bats finally came to life in the seventh. With the hits now falling in and the Hawks contributing with an error, the Falcons scored four and had the potential tying run at the plate when the final out was made. The loss drops the Falcons’ overall record to 3-10, and they’re now 1-4 in the Big 8. They’ll play a non-conference game at Falcon Diamond today against Lassen College at 1:00 pm.

Men's Golf

After winning their first two Big 8 tournaments of 2017, the FLC men’s golf team took second place on Monday for the second straight tournament, this time at Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa. The Falcons again finished four strokes behind Sierra and now cling to a narrow two point lead over the Wolverines in the Big 8 standings after four tournaments. Sophomore Mason Troike disregarded the sloppy course as he again led the Falcons with his low-medalist score of 71 on a cold and blustery day. With a chance to play on their home course on Wednesday, coach Barry Zarecky is hoping his team can snap out of their funk. “We’ve got to get everybody playing well at the same time. We’re just lacking consistency at this point,” noted Zarecky. Big 8 Tournament #5 begins at 11:00 am Wednesday at Rancho Murieta. Spectators are welcome to walk the course.

Upcoming Sports Schedule

Sat March 11     M/W Tennis at Reedley
                Softball at Diablo Valley (Pleasant Hill), 12:00 & 2:00 pm
                Baseball at Sierra, 1:00 pm