Big Hits the Difference in SBCC's 6-5 Win Over LA Valley
By Jimmy Friery
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City College Baseball team came back to beat LA Valley at Pershing Park on Saturday, with Cole Ide's eighth-inning solo shot the difference in a 6-5 victory.
It was a day of big knocks for the Vaqueros; Ide's homer was the last of three as Wylan Nelson and William Matuszak went yard earlier in the game. Lucas Carlisle ripped an RBI double, too, so four of the team's six runs came on extra-base hits.
It was not the cleanest start to the game, though. Two of the first three batters in the top of the first reached via hit-by-pitch, and a fielder's choice scored an early for LA Valley. Nelson—Santa Barbara's two-hole hitter—hit his solo homer in the bottom half to erase the early deficit.
Starter Jaxson Hoye struck out the side in the second followed by Matuszak's homer in the third to make it 2-1 Vaqueros. In the fourth, Ide manufactured a run with his baserunning. He led off the inning with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a single, and scored on an error by the pitcher.
The visitors immediately countered, taking the lead in the fifth, but the Vaqueros avoided a knockout blow. Five singles and two walks accounted for a four-run inning, yet LA Valley peculiarly tried to steal home with the bases loaded and two outs to let the Vaqueros off the hook. As the dust settled, it was 5-3 LA Valley.
Santa Barbara punched back quickly. Sean Asperger was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the sixth, then proceeded to steal second. Carlisle's double scored him, who then scored on Brendon Cekada's one-out single. With three innings to play, the score was 5-5.
After a scoreless seventh, Ide's homer to lead off the eighth broke the tie. Max Collins came on in the ninth to earn the save and seal the 6-5 Santa Barbara win.
While the Vaqueros' big hits might be the story of the day, the pitching staff deserves lots of credit. Cooper Tinkey, Darren Orlando, John Gurley, and Collins pitched innings six through nine, giving up no runs on just two hits. All of LA Valley's eight hits on the day were singles.
Offensively, Carlisle (three) and Cekada (two) each had multi-hit days. Ide hit the aforementioned game-winning homer and also walked twice, thus reaching base three times.
The Vaqueros hope to use the momentum going into conference play, beginning next weekend hosting Moorpark. As currently scheduled, first pitch for game one is Saturday at 1 p.m. before a 2 p.m. start on Monday.