Grace Brethren jumped on Carpinteria pitching for nine runs in the first three innings and beat the Warriors 9-3 in a Tri-Valley League baseball game Friday at John Calderwood Field.
The Lancers (15-4) scored two runs off starter Chase Mayer in the first inning and capitalized on Carpinteria mistakes to score three in the second. In the third inning, they put up four earned runs.
Carpinteria scored single runs in the second, third and fifth.
“The bad news is that our starter had a below average day and our defense let us down in situations that it has usually proven steady,” Carpinteria coach Pat Cooney said. “The good news is that the team kept playing together and that the players that had shaky starts to the game, finished well.
“We dug a really deep hole for ourselves but it was a good sign that we were competitive with a really good team. Our goal of reaching the playoffs is still intact.”
The Warriors (10-7, 3-5) next play Malibu in a two-game series Wednesday and Friday.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.