Hancock gets two in 8th to edge Vaqueros 3-2

SBCC couldn't handle a two-out grounder in the eighth inning on Tuesday and Hancock took advantage to post a 3-2 win in a WSC North baseball game at Pershing Park.

Steven Ledesma and Kyle King were locked in a 1-1 pitcher's duel for the first seven innings. Ledesma (4-2), a 6-4 right-hander from Ventura High, was the hard-luck loser after going eight innings and allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks. King (3-3), a 5-10 left-hander from Bakersfield, held the Vaqueros to one run on two hits over seven innings with nine strikeouts and four walks.

Ledesma is No. 2 in the state in strikeouts with 69 in 58.1 innings. He's 4-1 in his last six starts with a 1.60 ERA and 48 strikeouts.

"We wasted a good effort by Ledesma and our offense couldn't get it together," said Vaquero coach Jeff Walker. "We worked hard to get ourselves out of the inning and then we boot a ball. We gave them the game today."

SBCC (10-14, 7-5) dropped its fourth straight game and fell out of first in conference. Cuesta blanked L.A. Pierce 9-0 to improve to 8-4, one game ahead of the Vaqueros and Ventura. Hancock (14-10, 6-6) is tied for fourth with Moorpark.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead after three batters when Colby Barrick led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on a double by Jacob Tonascia. The Vaqueros tied it 1-1 in the second when Tyler Rosen was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a single by Connor Clark.

Nicholas Allman hit a grounder to second and Clark was forced out at second while Rosen scored. Allman was called out at first, however, when the umpire ruled that Clark had slid outside the baseline into the shortstop and Rosen was sent back to third.

Wesley Ghan-Gibson walked and two pitches later, he broke slowly to second, drawing a throw and getting in a pickle. Rosen took off for home and the throw was wide left, tying the game at 1-1.

The Vaqueros were held to four hits by three Bulldog pitchers. SBCC is 0-3 vs. left-handed starters and 3-14 when scoring five runs or less.

"We've struggled a little against left-handers," said cleanup hitter Nicolas Bereaud, who went 0-2 with walks in the sixth and eighth. "Their plans have worked against us and we've failed to make adjustments until it's kind of too late. We're lacking that key moment in the game when we can turn things around and get that momentum."

Tonascia opened the Hancock eighth with a single to left and Kyle Von Tillow reached when Ledesma fielded his bunt, then dropped the ball for an error. After a sacrifice bunt, Zach Lampreia was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Ledesma fanned pinch-hitter James Fitz-Maurice on three pitches and Justin Daraban hit a grounder toward the shortstop, Ghan-Gibson, but it deflected off his glove for an error, allowing pinch-runner Wyatt Standley and Von Tillow to score and give the visitors a 3-1 lead.

SBCC loaded the bases with one out in the eighth when Chris Smutny was hit by a pitch, Jake Gagain singled through the left side and Bereaud walked. But Smutny was thrown out at the plate by third baseman Chris Taitague and pinch-runner Morgan Lomax was forced out at second on a fielder's choice grounder by Connor Clark.

"It was a very uninspiring performance on our part," said Walker. "We have to stay on our own side and not worry about things we can't control. We're playing well but we're not putting together enough quality at-bats to score runs. You won't win many games when you only touch the plate twice."

Santa Barbara got a run in the ninth when Allman reached on an infield error and Ghan-Gibson doubled down the left-field line. Allman scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Cosgrove but Alex Heim struck out against reliever Jason Terrones and Smutny grounded out to first to end the game.

The Vaqueros open the second round of WSC North play on Thursday at Moorpark (2:30 p.m.), then they host the Raiders on Saturday at 1 p.m.