ANSWERED BACK

By Brandon Petersen

No carryover. 

Just a response.

Westcliff shook off an early deficit in emphatic fashion Saturday, erupting for nine runs in the fourth inning to power past Simpson, 9-5, and close out the Long Beach City College doubleheader with its league rival having taken the front-half of the series, 2-1.

As for Game 1, we'll let that one rest in peace, but Simpson landed its lone blow. Now the season series will shift to Redding next Friday.

Trailing 2-0 entering the fourth in the nightcap Saturday, the Warriors flipped the game in a matter of minutes.

Alex Chacon got it started with an RBI double, before AJ Quezada delivered the biggest swing of the inning — a two-run triple, his second of the day to deep center, that gave Westcliff its first lead of the game. From there, the lineup kept rolling.

Landon Raskin followed with an RBI double. Kolby Wagatsuma added a two-run single. Then Patrick Morgan broke it open with a two-run home run, pushing the lead to 8-2.

By the time Jack Varney capped the inning with an RBI single, the Warriors had turned a deficit into complete control, sending 13 batters to the plate and putting up nine runs on eight hits.

Westcliff finished with 12 hits on the day, with multiple contributors throughout the lineup. Wagatsuma drove in two, Morgan added two RBIs with his home run, and Quezada's two-run triple proved to be the turning point.

On the mound, Brendon Demuth steadied things after the early damage, working 6.1 innings and allowing three runs while keeping Simpson from building on its early momentum.

Demuth looked dominant at times and was the steady presence on the bump the Warriors needed Saturday.

Slater Theisen handled the final outs.

Simpson threatened late with three runs in the seventh, but the Warriors' fourth-inning explosion proved more than enough.

In a game that could have slipped sideways, Westcliff instead delivered its loudest inning of the day — a decisive swing that turned frustration into momentum and secured the win.

The Dubs will take on The Master's Tuesday at chilly Rio Hondo College.

First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.