For the second straight game, the VC baseball team used late-game heroics to get the best of the Allan Hancock Bulldogs. The Pirates scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game before Julien Monks singled to score Nick Schnopp with the walk-off game-winner. Robby Keister pitched a perfect 10th with a pair of strikeouts to earn the win on the mound for Ventura (11-13, 6-5).
The teams were locked in a pitchers' duel early on as Max Flame pitched into the fourth for the Pirates, giving up one earned run.
The Bulldogs scored that run in the third, and they scored two more in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead.
Ventura got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Reiss Calvin had a two-out single and stole second before scoring on John Oleson's single.
Hancock broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning, taking a 7-1 lead into the bottom half of the frame.
VC responded with another run in the sixth. Casey Turturici doubled to lead things off and Andrew Savage singled one out later. Schnopp followed with an RBI single to make it 7-2 for the Bulldogs after six complete.
AHC answered with a single run in the top of the seventh before Ventura started its comeback.
JR Godinez opened the inning with a single, followed by a one-base hit by Calvin. Oleson then had an RBI single to score Godinez. Calvin and Oleson moved ahead 90 feet on passed ball and Turturici walked to load the bases. After a pitching change, Ramon Torres was hit by a pitch, forcing Calvin home to score, and one out later, Schnopp grounded out to score Oleson. The Pirates trailed 8-5 heading to the eighth, the exact score that had come back from two days earlier against Hancock in Santa Maria.
The Pirates scored another run in the eighth to close the gap even further. With the bases loaded and one out, Turturici hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Garrick Levesque, who led off the inning with a pinch-hit single.
Allan Hancock appeared to weather the Pirate rally with a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning. The Pirates were down, but not out, however, as they still had some come-back left in them.
Savage and Schnopp led off the inning with back-to-back singles, but a pair of fly ball outs put VC on the brink of a loss in the final frame. Godinez turned the tide with an RBI single to score Savage, and Calvin walked to load the bases. After another Bulldog pitching change, Oleson drew a base on balls to score Schnopp, and Turturici walked home Godinez. Then Calvin scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch to send the teams into extra innings with a 10-10 tie score.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Pirates wasted little time working on the game-winner. With one out, Schnopp was hit by a pitch, then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Monks then singled up the middle to score Schnopp and the Pirates walked off with the win.
Godinez led the offense with three hits while Calvin, Oleson and Turturici each had two hits with two walks apiece. Calvin scored three runs in the game while Turturici had three RBI.
Ventura will close the three-game set wit Hancock on Saturday March 26 in Santa Maria.