College of the Canyons baseball continued its hot hitting while picking up a pair of victories at the annual three-day Spring Classic Tournament hosted by Allan Hancock College March 19-21.

Canyons (9-14) has now won five of its last six contests after registering wins over Merced College and East L.A. College sandwiched around a 3-1 loss to El Camino College. The Cougars’ tourney run comes on the heels of a three-game sweep over conference opponent Citrus College.

COC outscored its opponents by 37-15 margin during the three-game stand in Santa Maria, with the Cougars erupting for a 25-7 victory in the opener over Merced. Canyons saw freshman slugger Jose Mariano tee off on three home runs in the game, with Andrew Sherrell and Reid Farrell also leaving the yard. Mariano finished the contest with eight RBI. Starter Kyler Fruede earned the win after allowing two runs on five hits.

The Cougars’ bats were held at bay in a 3-1 loss to El Camino the following day. Canyons didn’t get on the board until Sherrell’s RBI single in the eighth inning. Alex Freund and Farell both logged a pair of hits in the game.

Canyons bounced back with a 12-7 victory over East L.A. in the finale, reaching double digit run totals for the fifth time in its last six outings. Five Cougars finished with multi-hit efforts led by Frankie Malagon, who finished three-for-five with a home run in the game. COC overcame a 6-0 deficit to win the game.

Top Performers – Canyons vs. Merced (W 25-7)

• Isaiah Dominguez – 4-for-6, BB, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
• Reid Farell – 2-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
• Kyler Freude – W, 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jung Jun Lee – 3-for-6, 2 BB, 4 R, 2 RBI, SB
• Jose Mariano – 4-for-6, 3 HR, 4 R, 8 RBI, SB
• Andrew Sherrell – 5-for-7, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI

Top Performers – Canyons vs. El Camino (L 3-1)

• Reid Farell – 2-for-3
• Alex Freund – 2-for-5, SB
• Jose Mariano – 1-for-4, R
• Andrew Sherrell – 1-for-2, 2 BB, RBI
• Chad Stanchfield – 3.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB,

Top Performers – Canyons vs. East L.A. (W 12-7)

• Isaiah Dominguez –1-for-4, BB, 2 R
• Reid Farell – 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI
• Alex Freund – 2-for-5, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
• Derek Hughes – W (1-0), 5.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Frankie Malagon –3-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI
• Andrew Sherrell –2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 3 RBI

Upcoming Schedule

Canyons will resume Western State Conference, South Division play with a three-game series vs. Bakersfield College.

The opener is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at Bakersfield.

The action shifts back to Mike Gillespie Field at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 27.

The finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 29, back in Bakersfield.

Stay up to date on all this season’s action by visiting COCAthletics.com and on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.