The Ventura College baseball team traveled to face off with rival their rival Oxnard College and capped their year with a 7-3 win. VC picked up nine hits including five doubles to plate their nine runs. Seven of the nine Pirate starters picked up a hit with Erick Allegro knocking out two including a double and Evyn Yamaguchi picking up two doubles. Joey Contreras earned the win with four innings of one hit relief.
Ventura (18-18, 11-13) entered the day with a chance to finish with a .500 record, pick up the series win over their rival Condors and finish with the best overall record amongst the three county JC teams. On the strength of a balanced offensive attack and four sophomores pitchers combining to hold OC to just six hits Ventura accomplished each goal.
VC plated two runs in the first without a hit after a lead off walk an error by the pitcher and a balk, Tony Fonzo and Bryson Wallet each had RBI groundouts. The Pirates collected single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings on RBI hits from Wallet, Joey Sunia and Brison Cronenbold. Ventura took a 6-0 lead on an error by the OC second basemen and after the Condors scored one in the eighth, Yamaguchi drove an RBI double to left center for a 7-1 advantage going to the bottom of the ninth. OC did not make it easy on the Pirates sending seven hitters to the plate in the ninth, but managed just one run and the game ended on a groundout to the Pirate second basemen.
Zachary Martirano started for VC going three innings allowing no run on two hits with one strikeout. Contreras followed him for four innings of one hit relief with two strikeouts. Tyler Esquivel went one inning to hold the lead with one hit allowed and one strikeout. Finally, Carlos Soto closed out the win allowing two hits with one strikeout.
Ventura finishes the year with an 18-18 record, good for best in the county. They took the season series from OC with three wins in four meetings. They will likely have several players selected to the all-conference teams at the conference meeting on Sunday May 1.