The San Diego City College baseball team picked up their first series win of the season Saturday, beating College of the Desert, 15-0, at Morley Field.

The game was the rubber match between the teams after the first two games were split.

Knights’ starting pitcher Chase Martinez was awarded the win after eight strikeouts in 6.2 shutout innings. He had plenty of help from his teammates, who kept extending the lead offensively until the final turn at bat.

Martinez set the tone early in the first inning, opening the game by inducing two quick flyball outs. He then struck out Desert College’s Mario Ramirez.

The Knights then loaded the bases twice and scored three runs.

Roadrunners’ pitcher Kevin Yanez faced all nine City College batters before finally escaping a two-out, bases-loaded jam on a ground ball to end the inning.

The Knights (2-13) scored twice more in the second, while the Roadrunners (3-18) failed to capitalize on any of their opportunities with runners on base.

Matt Hills came in in relief of Martinez after the starter walked consecutive batters in the sixth inning. Hills induced a ground ball out on a 3-1 count for the final out of the half-inning. Hills kept the game scoreless until the middle of the 8th. Makena Fo pitched the ninth to complete the shutout.  

The Knights manufactured all but one of their runs with base hits with runners in scoring position, something the Knights have struggled with to begin the season.

“We just weren’t playing good fundamental baseball,” said Knights head coach Chris Brown after the game. “As soon as conference started against Southwestern, we started (playing) better fundamental baseball and we’re seeing improvements every single day.

“Up until today we haven’t done a really good job of driving in runs when we’ve had runners in scoring position. We’ve been leaving a lot of guys on base.” 

Brown also took note of Martinez’s performance.

“The one thing about Chase is that he’s a fantastic competitor,” he said. “So your team always tends to rally and play a little bit better when they got a guy on the mound that’s really competing, as he did today.”

Martinez did not underplay the importance of this game for the team.

“I knew the series was tied 1-1,” said Martinez. “So I knew that this was the most important game I was gonna pitch in all my life. I needed to pull it off for my guys.

“I know they always got my back and I have theirs. I had to show them that I had their back today.”

The pitcher was grateful that the team jumped ahead to an early lead.

“That really got my confidence going,” Martinez said. “It helped me a lot, to take off some of the pressure.”

The Knights will next face San Bernardino Valley College at Morley Field tomorrow at 2 p.m.

For more updates on the spring sports at San Diego City College, click here.