After winning two out of three games over Merced College, the Reedley College Tigers moved a step closer to clinching second place in the Central Valley Conference baseball race.

Merced avoided a sweep of the three-game series Saturday afternoon in Reedley with a 6-3 win over the Tigers, ending Reedley's seven-game winning streak. The Tigers are now 18-13 overall and 10-5 in the Central Valley Conference, five games behind unbeaten Fresno City and two games ahead of Merced with nine games left.

The Tigers traveled to Taft (7-8, 13-18) on April 8 before hosting the Cougars on Thursday at 2 pm and going back to Taft on Saturday at 1 pm. Next Tuesday, April 15, Reedley heads to Fresno City for a 3 pm contest and hosts Coalinga the next day.

On April 2, Francisco Espejo improved to 6-0 and struck out 11 in 7.2 innings as the Tigers rolled to an 11-1 win over Merced. Andrew Mora and Omari Barksdale both drove in three runs for the wonners with Mora blasting a three-run homer in the eighth.

Espejo only went to a three-ball count twice in a 115-pitch effort. "He has been really efficient," said head coach Steve Pearce of the sophomore southpaw. "His changeup was working really well. We didnt want a hitter and didn't make any errors."

The coach added that the Reedley squad can control its own destiny.

On April 3 in Merced, Mora and Barksdale each homered in a 12-5 win over the Blue Devils. Keine Premdez recorded his second win in the Black and Orange, allowing two runs in six innings.

On Saturday in Reedley, two first inning errors led to a pair of Merced runs in a 6-3 loss, Reedley batted back to tie before a two-run homer in the ninth inning by Braxton Riley extended the lead.

The series vs. Taft will be a big test and help the Tigers on their hunt for the playoffs.

GO TIGERS!

By Will Goldbeck