Falcon bats awaken, then hang on to top CRC

A day after being shut out by Cosumnes River, the FLC baseball team's offense was awakened by one swing of Jake Gross' bat when he launched a second inning grand slam high into the screen in left field, giving the Falcons a 4-0 lead that they would not relinquish as they knocked off the Hawks on Monday afternoon at Falcon Field, 10-8.  The Falcons added six more runs in the third inning, then watched their 10-0 lead dwindle to almost nothing as the Hawks scored in each of the final four innings.  Falcon starter Shane Gustafson was masterful in his six innings; he had a one-hit shutout through five innings before tiring in the sixth, but left with a 10-1 lead.   A parade of Falcon relievers allowed the Hawks to get back into the game before closer Josh Winkler finally found his mojo, striking out the last two CRC batters with a runner on first to seal the win. 

Gross wasn't the only offensive producer for the Falcons; Andrew Williams, Nate George, and Aidan Malm all had 2-run hits in the six-run third inning, with four of those runs scoring with two outs.  The win was an important one for the Falcons as they avoided a sweep by CRC entering the 'bye' week in their Big 8 schedule.