SOFTBALL: Entering the day a half game behind first-place Cuesta, the Pirate softball team dropped a pair of heartbreakers to the Cougars Tuesday at the VC Softball Complex. Ventura fell 9-8 in eight innings in the opener before coming back from a 7-0 deficit in the night cap, only to fall 8-7. In both games VC (14-14-1, 6-4) had the tying and winning runs on base when they recorded the final out. Ashley Thorp led Ventura at the plate with four hits, four RBI and three runs scored on the day and Veronica Garcia produced three hits and a run scored.
Ventura 8, Cuesta 9
In a see-saw affair, the Pirates held leads of 4-2, 5-3, and 8-6 but could not hold on in the first game of the double header. Cuesta tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh and won it with a run in the first extra frame. Ashley thorp had a double and a triple with three runs scored and an RBI while Sabrina Cerda had a pair of hits, including a double, with three RBI. Veronica Garcia was 2-4 with a run scored and Ashley Cerda also had a pair of hits with a run. Emily Heath had a hit, two walks, and scored twice in the game.
Ventura 7, Cuesta 8
Ventura trailed 7-0 in the middle of the third inning before mounting a comeback. They closed to within 7-6 before the Cougars got an insurance run in the top of the seventh. VC scored once in the bottom of the frame, but could not plate the tying run. Alyssa Mendoza had two hits, including a double, and scored twice and Ashley Thorp had a pair of hits with three RBI. Roxanne Lopez had a hit and scored twice while Ashley and Sabrina Cerda scored one run, each.
VC has some make-ups coming up from earlier rain-outs, as they travel to Santa Clarita on Saturday April 5 to take on host Canyons at 10:00 am and Santa Ana College at 12:00 pm. They resume Western State Conference Gold Division play on Tuesday April 8 at Oxnard with a double-header.