VENTURA – The SBCC baseball team needed extra innings to decide a game for the first time this season, coming out on top at Ventura 9-7 after scoring two runs in the top of the 12th.
The Vaqueros (12-7, 5-1) finished with 10 hits, reaching double-figures for the sixth time this year. The Pirates (9-13, 4-5) totaled 13 and both teams had three errors.
Shorstop Gabe Baldavino had a big day, leading SBCC with three RBI, two coming on a home run in the fifth to put his team up 4-3.
It was a 4-4 tie heading into the eighth. The Vaqueros loaded the bases before a wild pitch allowed Matty Fung to make it home for a go-ahead run from third. Right after that, Nicholas Seyler hit an RBI single as Mark Hernandez scored to put SBCC up 6-4.
Ventura needed two runs in the ninth to extend the game, and that's exactly what it got. With the bases loaded, the Vaqueros turned a double play, but Ventura scored to cut the lead to one. The Pirates tied the game with a clutch RBI single against two outs, but an Andrew Guardino strikeout ended the inning with two runners on base.
Two scoreless innings followed. SBCC regained the lead in the 11th. Andrew McKenna led off with a double and was replaced by pinch runner Carson Cahoy who later scored on a wild pitch. Ventura tied it again and looked for the win with the bases loaded, but pitcher Charlie Adamson (1-1) sent it to the 12th with a big strikeout.
Max Porter opened the 12th with a double and scored the final go-ahead run on a single by Cahoy. Baldavino would tally his third RBI of the day to bring home Cahoy and the Vaquero defense held Ventura scoreless with one hit in the bottom half of the inning.
