Vaqueros Crush LA Pierce Playing as Road Team at Pershing Park

SANTA BARBARA – It was a clean day of defense and an extremely proficient show on offense for the SBCC baseball team, which hosted and defeated LA Pierce 14-2 while playing as the designated road team on Thursday at Pershing Park.

With their third win in four tries, the Vaqueros improve to 22-13 overall, 15-7 WSC while dropping the Brahmas to 9-27 overall, 6-15 conference.

NOTABLE

• SBCC went for 20 hits for the first time in over four years, crushing the previous season-high of 14. Gabe Baldavino, Tyler Imbach, Matty Fung and Ricardo Amavizca finished with three hits apiece.
• The third baseman Amavizca put up a ridiculous six RBI, the most of any Vaquero this season. He helped give SBCC an early 3-0 lead with a two-run single and later sent a three-run homer over the left field wall.
• After entering the day with 23 appearances and no home runs this season, designated hitter Tyler Imbach would record two against the Brahmas while hitting on three consecutive at bats.
• Andrew McKenna, Pearce Blaney and Hunter Call all tallied two hits each.
• Pitcher Campbell Holt (1-0) got his first win of the year after starting and giving up just one hit. Four other Vaqueros saw the mound, combining for 15 strikeouts keeping LA Pierce scoreless until the ninth inning.
• The 15 strikeouts tied a season-best. Nolan Craddock led the way with six in two innings. Adrese Azzani had four Ks in three full innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st-3rd Inning (1-0 SBCC)

• The Vaqueros got out to a strong defensive start, giving up just two hits through the first five innings.
• After singling and stealing second, McKenna opened the scoring in the top of the first on a Fung single to right field.

4th Inning (6-0 SBCC)

• The game started to open up in the fourth, when Amavizca got his first two RBI of the day with a big single down the left field line. Blaney and Mark Hernandez both scored to make it 3-0.
• Center fielder Hunter Call tripled into deep left to bring in Amavizca. He then scored on a Baldavino single up the middle. Baldavino scored last to cap a five-run fourth inning thanks to another single, this time from McKenna. That was the Vaqueros' sixth hit of the inning.

5th-6th Innings (12-0 SBCC)

• SBCC blew the game open with six more runs over the fifth and sixth innings.
• Fung scored on a Hernandez sac fly. On the following at bat, with runners on second and third, Amavizca sent one over the fence to make it 10-0. It was his first homer of the year.
• In the sixth, Imbach then came through with his first home run of 2022, a solo shot to center field.
• Amavizca added another RBI on a single to bring in Fung for the second time.

9th Inning (14-2 SBCC)

• Imbach put the cherry on top of an explosive offensive day with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, also bringing Baldavino home.
• The Brahmas had their best offensive inning, scoring two runs on three hits to save themselvesv from a shutout.

NEXT UP
SBCC's final two regular season games will be this Friday at Moorpark (2:30 PM) and Saturday at home against Cuesta (1:00 PM).