The Pirate baseball team scored four runs in the final three innings, including back-to-back home runs by Dylan Jackson and Mason Reid in the top of the seventh, to defeat Canyons 7-4 Friday in Santa Clarita. Haiden Letzing was 4-5 with a run scored and a run batted in while Harrison Cordeiro pitched three scoreless innings in relief to earn the victory on the mound.
Ventura dug itself an early hole, giving up back-to-back home runs along with a triple and a sacrifice fly before the seats were warm in the bottom of the first inning. Starting pitcher Luca Staiano settled in after that, giving up three hits and one run and striking out five over the next 4.1 innings of work to give the Pirates a chance.
Reid beat out the throw for an infield single in the second, and Letzing moved him to third with another single. Reid then scored on an error to pull VC to within 3-1.
Brandon Contreras singled to open the third, and Yuki Kawashima moved him to second with a ground ball out. Jackson was hit by a pitch, and one out later Letzing hit an RBI single.
The Cougars added their final run in the bottom of the third, but VC countered in the next frame. Henry Borjas was hit by a pitch with one out and Jacob Tostado followed with a double to put a pair of runners in scoring position. One out later. Kawashima walked on a wild pitch and Borjas came in to score.
The Pirates still trailed 4-3 headed to the seventh inning when Jackson and Reid led off the frame with back-to-back jacks to put Ventura ahead.
VC added an insurance run in the eighth. Tostado reached first on an error, then Contreras sacrificed him to second. Kawashima followed with an RBI double for the 6-4 lead.
In the ninth, Letzing singled, moved to second and third on an error, then scored David King's one-out RBI single.
Jaden Valdez took the mound in the bottom of the ninth, pitching a scoreless frame to earn the save.
The Pirates next travel to Antelope Valley on Saturday Feb. 3 before returning home to face the Marauders on Tuesday Feb. 6.