San Marcos baseball came out on the wrong end of a pitchers’ duel with Pacifica in the form of a 2-0 loss on Friday at Joe Mueller Field in Santa Barbara.
The Royals (15-10, 9-3 Channel League) remain in sole possession of first place in the Channel League and will look to secure a league title in their final series of the regular season against rival Santa Barbara High next week.
However, this result, coupled with Dos Pueblos’ win over Rio Mesa on Friday, allowed the Chargers (16-9, 8-4 CL) to move to within one game of first. Dos Pueblos will take on Oxnard for two games next week.
San Marcos’ Mason Crang and Pacifica’s Sebastian Hernandez went toe to toe on the mound, as they each threw complete games for their squads.
However, the Tritons’ two runs in the first two frames proved to be the difference in the matchup.
Pacifica struck in the top of the first by loading the bases on a trio of free passes and scoring on an infield single to take an early 1-0 lead.
The Royals had a chance to answer in the bottom of the first with runners on second and third and no outs, but they failed to capitalize and the 1-0 deficit remained.
Pacifica doubled its lead to 2-0 in the second on an RBI single that bounced over the infield and allowed a run to score.
That score held for the rest of the game, as Crang and Hernandez settled in and cruised through the opposing lineups.
After getting their first two baserunners of the game on, the Royals struggled to string together baserunners all day long. In fact, San Marcos had multiple baserunners in just two separate innings in the loss.
Hernandez allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out seven in his seven shutout frames. Meanwhile, Crang surrendered five hits and one walk while striking out a trio of batters in seven innings.
Offensively, Levi Monson collected two of the Royals’ three hits, while Quinn Melton recorded a double.
San Marcos also celebrated its senior class of Monson, Crang, Miles Herbert, Grant Hoover and Landon Johnston in a postgame Senior Day ceremony.
The Royals will host Santa Barbara High on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for the first game of the rivalry series.
Santa Barbara High 4, Buena 1
The Dons secured a Channel League win over the Bulldogs on Friday in Ventura.
Santa Barbara High opened the game with a three-run top of the first inning, highlighted by a two-run single by Griffin Arnold.
From there, Santa Barbara High starter Jack Paskin took over. The lefthander fired six shutout innings, allowing six runs and striking out five along the way.
Max Weddle came in and allowed one unearned run in the seventh but earned the save.
Arnold and Emiliano Ramirez each went 2-for-3 to lead the Dons’ offensive performance.
Carpinteria High 4, Malibu 3 (F/8)
Jonah Hernandez’s go-ahead RBI double in the top of the eighth lifted the Warriors to a league win over Malibu in extra innings on Friday.
After Hernandez put Carpinteria High ahead in the top half, Gabe Martinez slammed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth to finish off the win.
“It was a great big win for our team. We needed it in order to stay in the race for the playoffs,” Carpinteria High head coach Pat Cooney said.
Hernandez also got the starting nod for the Warriors, allowing one earned run on one hit while striking out four in five innings of work. Martinez then took over with three scoreless frames.
After Carpinteria scored three runs in the first two innings, Malibu responded with three runs in the bottom of the third and the 3-3 tie held until the eighth.
“This type of game hinges on just a few plays,” Cooney said. “We worked really hard for our first three runs but then made two errors on one play to allow the Sharks to tie. As bad as that felt, the leaders responded and continued to play well in support of each other.
“We had great efforts on the mound and in the field and our approach at the plate was more tenacious than it has been. It’s great that the last two games of the league season are meaningful. We are looking forward to next week.”
The Warriors (14-5, 6-4 Citrus Coast League) will be on the road against Channel Islands on Wednesday.