After sitting for five days tied for first place with one double header remaining in the season, turns out the games were the easy part. The Pirate softball team swept visiting Oxnard in a pair-of five-inning games, 8-0 and 12-2 to capture a share of the Western State Conference North Division championship Tuesday at the VC Softball Complex. The Pirate battery came up big, with pitcher Anissa Padilla throwing a 1-hit shutout in the first game and catcher Julianne Abeloe hitting three triples with two RBI in the nightcap.
Ventura 8, Oxnard 0
The Pirates easily dominated the Condors in the fist game Tuesday with five runs in the second inning and another three in the third. Padilla had eight strikeouts in the 1-hit shutout from the pitcher's circle. Abeloe had a double with three RBI and Celeste Ekman smacked out a pair of hits, including a double, with two runs batted in. Brittany Perez was also 2-2 with a pair of two-baggers and Julianna Andrade was w-2 with an RBI. Breana Betancourt also had a hit with a run batted in for VC.
Ventura 12, Oxnard 2
VC ended the suspense of clinching the title with four runs in the first inning and eight more in the second. OC had a brief 1-0 advantage, and scored their second run in the third frame. Abeloe led the way at the plate with three triples and two runs batted in while Andrade and Perez were each 2-3 with two RBI apiece. Ekman was 2-3 with a run batted in and Alyssa Frutos had a hit with a pair of RBI. Justine De La Rosa had a hit with a run batted in. Padilla got the win in the circle for Ventura and Megan Best came in for the two-inning save.
Ventura (28-12, 19-5) ties for the conference title with Allan Hancock, its first since 2012. Both teams receive an automatic bid into the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoffs which will begin with play-in games on Tuesday May 2 and first round best two-of three series May 5-6.