Yuba City baseball holds off R.V.

Friday night's baseball game between River Valley and Yuba City High wasn't only a battle between two cross-town rivals, it was also a family affair.

The Falcons' Cameron Olson and the Honkers' Tyler Olson took the hill for the finale of a three-game series and with the two second cousins on their A-game from the start, the contest was close until the very end.

But when the dust cleared, the story remained the same as the Honkers used solid two-strike hitting and rode the right arm of their senior hurler to edge the Falcons 3-2 under the lights at Winship Field.

It was a pitchers' duel all game long as both Olsons tossed complete games. However, with the win Yuba City finished off the three-game sweep and ended their Tri-County Conference slate with a 14-1 record.

"We're pretty close — we're almost like brothers," said Tyler Olson, who allowed four hits while striking out eight in the game. "He threw well, too. We just took advantage of the opportunities he gave us and were able to capitalize."

The Falcons (15-10, 7-6) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Junior Martinez drove in a pair of runs with a clean single to left to bring home Greg Cannon and TJ Dove.

The score remained the same until the fifth when the Honkers (21-4) finally got to Olson to score all three of their runs.

Cody Kent led off the inning by hitting a 2-2 offering for a double to right and was followed by an infield single by Seth Davis on a 1-2 pitch. Zach Oakley walked before Tyler Olson got the Honkers on the board with a single to right on another two-strike knock to make the score 2-1.

Blake Parks was up next and put Yuba City ahead with a two-run single, and while an error would load the bases, Olson recorded two strikeouts and a popout to escape the inning with no more damage.

The rest of the game belonged to his counterpart, as Tyler Olson allowed just one hit over the last four innings. River Valley had two men reach base in the seventh, but Olson struck out the final two batters of the game to seal it.

"He's been like that all year for us," Yuba City coach Vicente Luevano said. "He throws his fastball and curveball for strikes, but he doesn't neglect the fact that he has to hit.

"He had it all working tonight."

Despite the loss, River Valley showed they could bounce back after a rough 18-3 loss on Thursday. The one-run loss matches the closest margin of victory between the two schools since they started playing each other five years ago.

The Falcons also lost 8-7 in the first game of the series on Tuesday.

"We had two one-run games so this is as close as we've ever played them," River Valley coach Billy Rollins said. "We're showing constant improvement and that's what we're looking for."

Tyler Olson was the game's top hitter by going 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Cameron Olson, who is a junior, allowed seven hits and struck out four in six solid innings to take the loss.