Perhaps Saturday's contest between Western State Conference East Division champion Antelope Valley and WSC North Division championship contender Ventura was better suited for April than its original February 10 date. The two playoff caliber teams went toe-to-toe at the VC Softball Complex for nine innings before the Marauders broke open a scoreless tie to take the 4-0 victory. Anissa Padilla had a solid day in the circle for VC (26-12, 17-5) while Julianne Abeloe and Arianna Rivas recorded the only two hits for the Pirates.
Padilla was masterful pitching for VC. She kept AVC from scoring despite the fact that they had a runner in scoring position in five of the first eight innings, striking out 10 batters and scattering five hits before AVC's three-hit ninth inning.
The Pirate offense was limited by Antelope Valley, who entered the game with a 22-game winning streak. VC managed just two hits on the day, both singles. The Priates' best scoring chance came in the bottom of the sixth inning when they had runners on first and second with one out. Brittany Perez followed with a line drive shot that was snagged by the first baseman, who stepped on the bag for a double-play to end the threat.
Despite the tough loss, the Pirates did receive some good news in the conference race Saturday. Cuesta, who entered the day tied for first with VC and Allan Hancock, was swept in a double header taking them into fourth place in the standings. Ventura and Hancock are tied atop the conference with identical 17-5 records while Moorpark is in third at 15-6. Hancock closes the season with a double-header at home against the Raiders while VC hosts Oxnard for two on Tuesday April 25, beginning at 1:00 pm.