SANTA MARIA – The SBCC baseball team suffered its second straight loss to Allan Hancock in the final game of their season series on Sunday, being held to a season-low two hits in a 2-1 road defeat.
Shortstop Gabe Baldavino and first baseman Mark Hernandez provided the two hits, both of which came in the third inning of what had been a scoreless game to that point.
Hunter Call led the top of the third off with a walk and stole second. Baldavino followed with a single through the left side. Two at bats later, Hernandez singled into right field, allowing Call to open the scoring making it 1-0. Both Hernandez and Baldavino would be left out there as the Bulldogs picked up back-to-back strikeouts to end the top half of the inning.
Unfortunately for the Vaqueros, the lead would be short-lived, as Allan Hancock's Jacob Steels hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third to tie things up.
Neither team scored again until the eighth inning, when Steels rounded the bases for the go-ahead run. The center fielder initially singled before the game-winning RBI single by Joey Freitas.
The Bulldogs ended an incredible day of pitching with three more strikeouts in the ninth, giving them 22 for the game.