Clark, Ghan-Gibson guide Vaqueros to 6-1 victory

Ian Clark tossed seven innings of one-run ball and Wesley Ghan-Gibson stroked his first college homer on Saturday as SBCC downed Ventura 6-1 in a WSC North baseball game at Pershing Park.

"I just put a good swing on it," said Ghan-Gibson, a freshman shortstop from San Marcos High. "It was a fastball in and I hit it pretty good. We did an awesome job today. Ian set the tone and we were aggressive at the plate."

Ghan-Gibson's two-run blast over the left-field fence gave the Vaqueros (17-16, 14-7) a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Jake Gagain doubled in the third and scored on Nicolas Bereaud's RBI single to left to make it 4-1.

The Vaqueros remained two games behind Cuesta (16-5) with three to play in the race for the WSC North title. Santa Barbara surpassed the .500 overall mark for the first time this year. The Vaqueros have secured second place in the conference but need one more win to satisfy the playoff requirement of having a .500 record.

Clark, a 6-6 sophomore from Danville, Calif., allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings to improve to 6-4. He lowered his ERA to 2.97, striking out five and walking four. Brett Gregory didn't allow a hit in the last two innings.

Catcher Andrew Cosgrove went 2-3 with a double and scored two runs. Cosgrove is batting .393 in his last nine games (11-28).

Addisson Pelupessy took the loss for Ventura (17-16, 10-11), giving up four runs on six hits in five innings.

"That was an outstanding performance by Ian Clark and our defense," said coach Jeff Walker. "We scored early and kept them off the board."

Ghan-Gibson made a diving catch for the first out of the game and third baseman Chris Smutny had a couple of stellar defensive plays with a barehand grab and throw to get Jessey Melendez on a bunt in the second inning. Smutny made a good stop behind the third-base bag to start a 5-4-3 double play that ended the eighth.

The Vaqueros outhit the Pirates 8-4. They boosted the lead to 5-1 in the sixth when Tyler Rosen walked, went to second on an overthrow by the catcher, took third on Michael Montpas' bunt single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Smutny. The sixth run came home in the seventh on a double by Cosgrove, a groundout that moved him to third and a wild pitch by reliever Carlos Soto.

"Ian allowed baserunners here and there but made the pitches when he needed to," said Walker. "We scored in the first three innings and it's always easier to play when you're ahead.

"We have to get to at least .500, so we need to win on Tuesday."

The Vaqueros travel to Ventura on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., hoping to complete a 4-0 WSC series sweep. They'll play at Hancock on Thursday, then host the Bulldogs on Friday in their final regular-season home game at 2:30 p.m.