SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Down by a run in the bottom of the eighth inning with the bases loaded, Ben Fabbian delivered a clutch two-RBI double into the right-center gap to lift Santa Barbara City College to a 9-8 win over LA Pierce College on Saturday at Pershing Park.
After a pair of narrow 7-6 losses earlier in the week, the Vaqueros battled through a back-and-forth finale to salvage the final game of the three-game series.
The Brahmas struck first with two runs in the opening inning, but SBCC answered in the second. Elias Athanas drew a bases-loaded walk and Benjamin Strutt hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2-2.
The Vaqueros pulled ahead in the third when Aidan Camberg roped an RBI double—his team-leading 31st RBI of the season—and Sean Asperger added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
Trailing 5-4 in the fifth, Nicolas Aguirre plated two with an infield single, then drew a wild pickoff throw that allowed Athanas to score from third, giving SBCC a 7-5 lead.
The Brahmas tied it again before Fabbian's go-ahead hit in the eighth.
Darren Orlando earned his first win of the season, tossing two hitless innings and striking out three.
Nick Putnam, making his first start as the designated hitter, finished 2-for-4 with a walk.
Strutt added his 28th stolen base of the year, keeping him second in the Western State Conference.
Santa Barbara improved to 20-12 overall and 12-6 in conference play. The Vaqueros host Moorpark on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Pershing Park.