Allan Hancock College built a 6-0 lead in the first two innings and was able to hold off a potential SBCC comeback to top the Vaqueros 9-5 in the Western State Confernece opener for each team.
Hancock jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning when they sent 11 men to the plate against SBCC starter Brett Vansant. After Quinntin Perez led off the game with a double, Vansant struck out Daniel Curriel, but a dropped third strike and throwing error allowed Curriel to race all the way to third while Perez scored. Vansant struck out the next batter as well, but another error prolonged the inning and the Bulldogs capitalized further.
Vansant recorded his third strikeout of the inning, but instead of being out of the inning, he had to continue to battle and the Bulldogs took advantage. They recorded three straight hits and scored a run on a balk before the Vaqueros were able to get out of the inning.
Jake Shusterich hit a solo homer in the second to extend the lead to 6-0, but Vansant settled down from there.
The Vaqueros mounted a comeback in the top of the fourth, cutting the lead in half to 6-3. Joshua Perlmutter hit a one-out single and Jake Holton followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Perlmutter scored on a wild pitch and sophomore catcher Mitch Sancier followed with his first homer of the season to make the score 6-3.
The Bulldogs countered with two tow-out runs in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 8-3 before adding a solo run in the bottom of the eighth on a passed ball.
SBCC added two runs in the top of the ninth on a Shane Hersh triple and an RBI groundout by Boston Hubbard, making the final score 9-5.
Hersh and Holton led the way for the Vaqueros on offense, with each recording three htis on the day. Holton has hit safely in 11 of the past 12 games and Hersh hit two triples for the Vaqueros.
Vansant (3-3) took the loss, logging five innings while allowing eight runs (four earned).
SBCC is back in action on Thursday when they take on the Bulldogs in the second game of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30pm at Pershing Park on Thursday.
