The Ventura College softball team stayed with the defending state champions for three-plus innings before falling at Santiago Canyon Thursday, 15-8. VC (2-3) trailed 5-4 in the middle of the third inning before the Hawks pulled away. Celeste Ekman was 2-4 with two doubles and three RBI while Julianne Abeloe also had two hits with a double and an RBI with three runs scored.
VC jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Abeloe singled to open the game and scored from first on Ekman's double to left-centerfield. Ekman was thrown out at third on the play. Brittany Perez followed up with a home run and the Pirates held the advantage until the Hawks responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Pirates closed the gap in the top of the second with two more scores. Ekman came through in the clutch again with a two-out bases loaded double scoring Abeloe and Emily Reyes, making it 5-4.
It remained a one-run game until the bottom of the third inning when Santiago Canyon scored four runs to break the game open.
The Pirates kept up the fight until the end, plating four runs in the top of the seventh inning to set the final margin. Abeloe doubled to score Reyes, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Arianna Rivas followed with a sacrifice fly to score Abeloe. Justine De La Rosa closed the scoring with another double, scoring Ekman and Perez.
Perez, De La Rosa and Reyes all had two hits on the day.
Ventura will next travel to Victor Valley on Tuesday Feb. 21 before opening Western State Conference North Division play at Los Angeles Pierce on Thursday Feb. 23.