The Santa Barbara City College Baseball team (14-12, 9-3) won another conference series this week, winning two out of three against Ventura. The Vaqueros avenged a walk-off loss in the series opener—after scoring five runs in the top of the ninth—by dominating the next two games at home.
The results set up a blockbuster series next week. The two best teams in the Western State Conference (WSC) North face off as the second-place Vaqueros play leaders Hancock (21-7, 10-2).
Tuesday, Game 1: Ventura 8, Santa Barbara 7
In Ventura, the hosts scored three in the first before both pitching staffs settled in. Bradley Cekada‘s sac fly got a run back in the sixth to make it 3-1 Ventura. However, in the bottom half, the Pirates had the bases loaded with two outs; a walk, wild pitch, and double scored four runs, increasing their lead to 7-1.
Damos Deworken‘s RBI groundout in the seventh did not seem important at the time, but it ended up mattering. In the ninth, down to their last out, the Vaqueros had two runners on but were still down 7-2. An RBI single, walk, three-run double, and game-tying single followed, and miraculously Santa Barbara had come all the way back.
Unfortunately, they would not record an out in the bottom of the ninth as Ventura got three consecutive hits to walk it off.
Left fielder Cole Ide led the team with two hits—including the game-tying single—while adding a walk. Lucas Carlisle‘s three-run double just prior gave him the team-lead in RBIs on the day.
Thursday, Game 2: Santa Barbara 8, Ventura 1
Game two at Pershing Park was much more straightforward for the Vaqueros. Wylan Nelson did his best Shohei Ohtani impression, pitching a complete-game five-hitter, allowing just one run and helping his own cause with two hits and an eighth-inning solo homer.
Chronologically, this time, it was Santa Barbara’s turn to score three in the bottom of the first. Singles from Ide, Sean Asperger, and Parker Hellekson accounted for all three runs. Ide then hit a solo shot in the third to make it 4-0 Vaqueros.
After Ventura scored in the fifth, Nicolas Aguirre‘s two-out, two-run single padded the hosts’ lead further—now 6-1. Asperger ripped an RBI triple in the seventh before Nelson’s homer put the cherry on top of a dominant performance.
The Vaqueros had 14 hits on the day, and Nelson was just one of five hitters with a multi-hit performance. Aguirre (two), Ide (three), Asperger (three), and Hellekson (two) all had great days at the plate.
Saturday, Game 3: Santa Barbara 9, Ventura 2
The Vaqueros also had the benefit of home field advantage in Saturday’s rubber match. After Max Collins threw a scoreless top of the first, leadoff hitter William Matuszak homered on the first offensive pitch the Vaqueros saw. They would have the lead for the remainder of the game.
After six scoreless innings, Collins had not even allowed a Pirate baserunner to reach second base. Then, Santa Barbara’s offense came alive in the bottom of the sixth with a seven-run surge to put the game out of reach. Asperger (double), Deworken (double), and Nelson (single) all had two-RBI hits in the inning, and Deworken scored on a wild pitch, too.
Thus, the Vaqueros turned a one-run game into a commanding lead, adding an insurance run in the eighth while holding Ventura to just two late runs. The final score was 9-2.
Collins’ strong outing ended as eight innings, one unearned run, and eight strikeouts to naturally earn the win.
Speaking of the number eight, eight different Vaquero hitters recorded a hit. They were spread around, though, as Ide was the only one with two hits, although Matuszak also walked twice.
The Vaqueros head to Hancock on Tuesday to begin next week’s three-game series. The teams travel to Pershing Park on Thursday at 2 p.m. before the finale back in Santa Maria on Saturday.