Ventura pitcher Ashlyn Flinchum lived on the edge all afternoon Friday, only allowing one hit, but yielding five walks to visiting Santa Barbara. She and the Pirate softball team shut-out the Vaqueros, however, in their 1-0 victory at the VC Softball Complex. Isabel Gallegos produced the game-winning hit for the Pirates, an RBI single to knock in Lauren Albrent in the bottom of the fifth, for the narrow victory for the Pirates (13-2-1, 4-0).
Both teams stranded runners in the first, and VC put together two singles to put runners on first and second with two outs in the second, without a score.
Ahlyssa Guzman singled and stole second with one out in the third, but the Pirates could not find the clutch hit to bring her home.
SBCC had a runner on scoring position in the fourth with a walk and a sacrifice, and Ventura followed with two bases on balls in the bottom half of the frame, but to no avail.
In the bottom of the fifth, VC finally broke through. Albrent hit a two-out single, then came around to score on Gallegos' clutch base hit for a 1-0 Pirate lead.
A Ventura error, a Santa Barbara hit, and a sacrifice gave the Vaqueros runners on second and third in the top of the sixth with one out, but Flinchum induced a pair of infield pop-ups to get out of the jam.
Flinchum then pitched through a one-out walk in the seventh inning to hold on for the complete-game victory.
The Pirates scattered nine hits in the game led by Mia Guerrero's two base hits. Flinchum,. meanwhile, struck out nine in her seven innings of work in the pitcher's circle.
Ventura will next travel to Santa Maria on Tuesday March 7 to take on Allan Hancock College.