The Pirate softball team answered a 1-0 deficit with 17 unanswered runs in a big victory at Victor Valley College Tuesday in Victorville. Julianne Abeloe went 4-5 with a double and six RBI and Julianna Andrade reached base four times, including a triple, with four runs scored with an RBI. Emily Reyes had a pair of hits with an RBI and a run scored for the Pirates (3-3). Breana Betancourt and Justine De La Rosa scored three runs each in the game.
VC fell behind in the bottom of the first inning, giving up one run to the host Rams. They responded quickly, however, with four runs in the top of the second frame to take a 4-1 lead. Abeloe had a two-RBI single and Reyes also had an RBI single in the inning.
The Pirates then returned with six runs in the third to take control of the game. Danielle Carmona had a sacrifice fly for an RBI while Abeloe and Celeste Ekman each had run-scoring hits.
Ventura kept the offense coming in the fourth with five more runs, and they scored two in the fifth for the 17-1 margin.
Megan Best and Anissa Padilla shared duties on the mound of VC in the victory.
The Pirates begin Western State Conference North Division play on Thursday Feb. 23 in Woodland Hills against Los Angeles Pierce College. VC returns home on Tuesday Feb. 28 for a double-header against Moorpark.