The Pirate baseball team had an excellent game Saturday, except for one inning. Leading 7-0 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Pirates allowed 16 batters to come to the plate scoring 11 runs as VC dropped the 11-7 decision under the lights at Mt. San Antonio. Andrew Savage had a pair of hits with two runs batted in and a run scored and Casey Turturici recorded two hits, including a triple, with one RBI and one run scored to lead the Pirates (19-15, 12-6).
Ventura took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning. With one out, Nick Schnopp tripled and Savage singled him home. Savage then stole second before Ramon Torres singled. THe runners moved up 90 feet on a passed ball with Savage scoring, then Julien Monks was hit by a pitch. KJ Moo-Young followed with an RBI single to establish the early margin.
Monks had a one-out double in the fourth, and JR Godinez singled him home for a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Savage delivered a two-out single to score John Oleson, who led off the frame with a walk to stretch the lead to 5-0.
Finally, in the top of the seventh, VC scored two more runs. Turturici had an RBI triple that scored Reiss Calvin, and Savage reached first base on a pass ball-strikeout that also scored Turturici for the 7-0 advantage.
The wheels came off for the Pirates in the bottom of the seventh after they recorded a 6-3 groundout to start the inning. The Mounties followed with an eight-hit frame with three walks and three hit batsmen to plate 11 runs, eight with two outs.
VC was unable to muster any offense in their final two at bats to keep the final 11-7 margin.
Timmy Adams had a solid start on the mound for VC, pitching into the third inning and Jared Hughes, Dawson Radik, and Livio Bundi all had scoreless relief appearances.
Ventura returns to Western State Conference play on Tuesday April 19 in San Luis Obispo against frontrunner Cuesta. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm.