2017 Ventura College Baseball Team News
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Jimmy Walker Hired as Pirates' Head Baseball Coach
June 21, 2017The Ventura College Athletic Department is pleased to announce that Jimmy Walker has been named head baseball coach. Walker, who served as the Pirates’ pitching coach for the past two seasons, replaces longtime head coach Don Adams who retired in May after 37 years in the VC baseball program, 23 as the head coach. -
Pirates Have Three Selected in 2017 MLB Draft
June 15, 2017The Ventura College baseball team had three players selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball that concluded Wednesday. VC alumnus Greg Minier '15 was selected in the 32nd round by the Chicago White Sox while current Pirates Austin Rubick and Andrew Nardi were taken by the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees in the 20th and 39th rounds, respectively. These are VC's first draft picks since 2014 when Ryan Jones '11 was taken by the White Sox.
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Baseball Pitcher Justin Friedman Earns All-SoCal Honors
June 09, 2017Pirate starting pitcher Justin Friedman has been named All-Southern California by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association. The transfer sophomore from Pittstown, NJ led Ventura with an overall record of 8-2 in 12 starts, with a 2.15 earned run average. He recorded 67 strikeouts against 28 walks over 79.2 innings of work.
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Four Pirates Ink Baseball Scholarships
May 25, 2017Four additional members of the Pirate baseball team have signed scholarship offers this spring, the VC coaching staff has announced. Right-handed pitcher Dylan Francis (Thousand Oaks HS), left-handed pitcher Kodi Koorndyke (Oxnard HS), second baseman Brendan Griffin (Saugus HS) and outfielder T.J. Drufee all inked offers to continue their academic and athletic careers at the four-year level earlier this month.
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VC Baseball Earns Strong Considerations for All-WSC
May 18, 2017The Pirate baseball team had five players earn first-team All-Western State Conference North Division honors in voting by the conference coaches earlier this month. The list was headlined by sophomores Blake Chiaramonte, Kaden Betsch and Justin Friedman along with freshmen Elijah Alexander and Rodolfo Aguilar. Additionally, retiring head coach Don Adams was selected as the Co-Coach of the Year.
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Friedman Pitches Gem in Season Finale, Pirates Win
April 27, 2017Transfer sophomore Justin Friedman made a strong case for Western State Conference pitcher of the year Thursday, pitching a five-hit shutout over conference champion Santa Barbara in the Pirates' season finale at Pirate Park. The University of San Diego signee struck out eight Vaqueros, hanging nine zero's on the board for the victory, pushing VC into a third place tie in the final conference standings. The day will also be remembered as longtime skipper Don Adams' final game as manager of the Pirates.
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Ventura Drops Narrow Decision at Santa Barbara
April 25, 2017The fight is still there, as is the hard luck for the Pirates. The Ventura College baseball team made its final road trip of the season to first-place Santa Barbara, coming away with a narrow 6-5 decision at Pershing park. T.J. Durfee pounded out four hits, including a double, with two runs scored and a run batted in and Rudolfo Aguilar had three hits with a double, a runs scored and three RBI for VC (19-20, 9-10).
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VC Can't Hold On Late Against Hancock
April 22, 2017In what has become a month of heartbreak for the Ventura College baseball team, the Pirates had another hard-luck loss Saturday at Pirate Park, falling 7-6 to visiting Allan Hancock. VC (19-19, 9-9) opened up a 5-0 lead after two innings, and led 6-3 after five before allowing the game-winning runs in the top of the ninth frame. Rodolfo Aguilar had a pair of hits while scoring two runs and Chris McKee also had two hits in the game.
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Baseball Back on Track With Victory at Hancock
April 20, 2017The Pirate baseball team got back on track with a 5-4 victory at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria Thursday Brendan Griffith had two hits with an RBI and two runs scored and Kaden Betsch knocked out a pair of hits with two runs batted in to lead VC (19-18, 9-8). Justin Friedman scattered 10 hits through seven innings, allowing three runs while striking out six to pick up his seventh win of the season. Taylor Campos picked up his third save with two frames of relief work.
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VC Baseball Stung By 16-Inning Loss at Cuesta
April 18, 2017A long road trip got even longer Tuesday when the Pirate baseball team dropped an 8-7 decision in San Luis Obispo to Cuesta College in a marathon 16-inning game. The Pirates had brief leads of 6-3 and 7-6, but could not hold on, nor find a way to score in the seven extra frames in the loss. The VC bullpen was outstanding, allowing just two runs in 13 innings of work. Elijah Alexander had four hits at the plate, including a double, with two runs scored and a stolen base.
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Baseball Concludes Non-Conference Schedule
April 15, 2017The Ventura College baseball team concluded its non-conference docket Saturday afternoon, hosting Orange Coast at Pirate Park. The VC Pirates fell to the state No. 2-ranked OCC Pirates 11-5, ending a rough non-conference week for Ventura as they prepare for the home stretch of the Western State Conference North Division race.
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Ventura Blanked by Taft at Pirate Park
April 14, 2017The Pirate baseball team had scoring chances, but could not find home plate in a 6-0 loss to visiting Taft College at Pirate Park Friday. Chris McKee and Elijah Alexander each had two hits and each recorded a stolen base in the non-conference match-up. Justin Friedman pitched seven innings, giving up three runs to give the Pirates a chance in the game, but took the hard-luck loss.
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One Big Inning Hurts Pirates in Loss
April 12, 2017For eight of the nine innings Wednesday, the Pirate baseball team gave No. 6-ranked Riverside fits. Unfortunately, the other inning was a rough one for VC. The Pirates led the Tigers 7-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning and had two outs and two strikes before RCC rallied for an eight-run inning. VC (18-15, 8-7) was unable to score again, and the Tigers plated an insurance run in the seventh in the 9-7 decision. Blake Chiaramonte was 4-5 with 3 RBI and a run scored. Brendan Griffith had an RBI triple.
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Pirates Fall in Non-Conference Contest to PCC
April 11, 2017The Pirate baseball team dropped their second of five games this week, 5-4 to visiting Pasadena Tuesday at Pirate Park. After falling behind 4-0, Ventura (18-14, 8-7) almost completed the comeback, recording the final out with the tying run on base and the potential game winner at bat in the bottom of the ninth. Elijah Alexander went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Nick Bero was 2-3 with two runs scored. Taylor Campos doubled and drove in a run while Bryson Wallet homered for VC.
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VC Baseball Can't Hold Early Lead at Canyons
April 08, 2017The Pirate baseball team took a 3-0 lead after three innings on the shoulders of centerfielder Elijah Alexander, but could not make hold up, falling 10-3 Saturday at College of the Canyons in a non-conference game. Alexander had two hits, including a two-run home run, scored two runs and added a stolen base for Ventura (18-13, 8-7).
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VC Rebounds on the Diamond to Defeat Cuesta
April 07, 2017The Pirate baseball team rebounded from a difficult result Thursday to beat visiting Cuesta 7-2 Friday afternoon at Pirate Park. Dylan Francis earned his fourth win of the season with seven innings on the mound allowing two runs and striking out four. Jackson Hickert earned his third save of the year with two scoreless innings of relief. Elijah Alexander and Chris McKee each picked up three hits for Ventura (18-12, 8-7).
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Ventura Baseball Falls Late to Moorpark
April 06, 2017The Pirate baseball team held a 5-2 advantage heading into the ninth inning Thursday, only to let it slip away, falling 6-5 in walk-off fashion at Moorpark. Blake Chiaramonte finished a triple away from the cycle, driving in four runs and scoring two to lead VC (17-12, 7-7) while Justin Friedman was solid on the mound once again, completing eight innings and allowing two runs while striking out 10 Raiders.
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Pirates Lose in Extra Innings to Moorpark
April 04, 2017For the second time this season, the Pirate baseball team gave up a late lead to visiting Moorpark, falling 6-5 in 12 innings Tuesday afternoon at Pirate Park. Ventura allowed two runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 5-5 before allowing an unearned run in the 12th for the loss. Blake Chiaramonte had two doubles and scored twice for VC (17-11, 7-6) and Bryson Wallet had two hits, two walks and an RBI. Nick Bero added a pair of hits including a double.
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Baseball Tops Oxnard 5-2 to Sweep Season Series
April 01, 2017The Ventura College baseball team got six innings of three-hit, shutout pitching from Dylan Francis and the T.J. Durfee had an RBI double to lead Ventura to a 5-2 victory at Oxnard Saturday afternoon. Francis struck out six batters in picking up the win and Taylor Campos the 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for the save. VC (17-10, 7-5) made the most of OC defensive miscues, scoring three unearned runs in securing the season sweep against the Condors.
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VC Comes Back to Clinch Season Series With Oxnard
March 30, 2017After spotting visiting Oxnard with two runs in the top of the first inning, the Ventura College baseball team scored five unanswered runs to defeat the Condors Thursday afternoon at Pirate Park. Justin Friedman picked up his sixth win of the season going seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts. Brendan Griffith was 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Chris McKee and Blake Chiaramonte also recorded two hits on the day for VC (16-10, 6-5).
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Baseball Comeback Falls Short at Santa Barbara
March 28, 2017After digging themselves into a 7-1 hole at Santa Barbara, the Pirate baseball team had its comeback bid fall short as they fell to the Vaqueros 7-4 Tuesday afternoon. Rodolfo Aguilar had a pair of hits and scored a run while Bryson Wallet had a two-RBI single. Andrew Nardi, David Hughes and Devon Lindley combine for 2.1 innings of scoreless relief for the Pirates (15-10, 5-5).
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Francis Sharp As Pirates Down Vaqueros
March 25, 2017Dylan Francis was sharp on the mound for Ventura, pitching six scoreless innings of two-hit baseball adn retiring the last 14 batters he faced as the VC baseball team defeated Santa Barbara 8-2 Saturday afternoon at Pirate Park. Kaden Betsch and Brendan Griffith each had two-RBI singles and Chris McKee had three hits and scored two runs for Ventura (15-9, 5-4) as they moved into a second place tie with SBCC and Moorpark, one half game behind Cuesta in the crowded Western State Conference North Division.
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Ventura Edges Hancock 4-3 With Run in the Eighth
March 23, 2017Shane Gipson had a two-run home run and Kaden Betsch had two hits with two RBI, including the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Ventura College baseball team edged Allan Hancock College 4-3 Thursday at Pirate Park. T.J. Durfee knocked out three hits in the game, scoring a run and Bryson Wallet added a double and scored twice, including the game-winner, for VC (14-9, 4-4).
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VC Falls in Marathon 16-Inning Game at Hancock
March 22, 2017After falling behind 5-0 in the fourth inning, the Pirate baseball team clawed its way all the way back, taking a 6-5 lead, only to fall 7-6 after seven extra frames of baseball Wednesday at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the teams played into the 16th inning before Hancock scored the winning run. Blake Chairamonte had three hits, drove in one run and scored another and Taylor Campos pitched seven innings of relief, allowing two hits and one run while striking out seven in the loss.
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VC Baseball On Top Side of 3-2 Game at LA Pierce
March 19, 2017Blake Chiaramonte finished a triple away from the cycle with three hits, including the go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth inning as the Pirate baseball team defeated Los Angeles Pierce 3-2 Sunday afternoon in Woodland Hills. Jackson Hickert pitched two scoreless innings in relief for his first collegiate win and Taylor Campos earned his third save of the season with a goose-egg in the ninth for VC (13-8, 3-3).
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Pirates Fall in Close Contest at Cuesta
March 18, 2017The Pirate baseball team came up short Saturday afternoon in San Luis Obispo, falling 3-2 to Cuesta College. Charlie Brooks had five solid innings on the mound, giving up three runs on six hits with two strikeouts but was tagged with the loss. Andrew Nardi pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Kaden Betsch tripled and scored a run and TJ Durfee doubled in a run and also scored. Rodolfo Aguilar had an RBI for the PIrates (12-8, 3-3) who managed just five hits on the day.
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Ventura Scores Five Unanswered Runs to Defeat Cuesta
March 16, 2017After spotting visiting Cuesta three runs in the top of the first inning, the Ventura College baseball team settled in, scoring five unanswered runs en route to a 5-3 Western State Conference victory Thursday at Pirate Park. Chris McKee had two hits, stole a base, and scored two runs to pace the Pirates (12-6, 3-2) while Rodolfo Aguilar scored twice and had a two-RBI base hit. Justin Friedman picked up the win on the mound, pitching six innings and striking out five batters.
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VC On Short End of Pitcher's Duel at Moorpark
March 14, 2017In a classic pitcher's duel, the Ventura College baseball team fell 2-0 at Moorpark Tuesday afternoon. Austin Rubick threw seven innings giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits with four strikeouts, but the VC offense never got untracked, managing just two hits on the day, both from Blake Chiaramonte. Jackson Hickert pitched one inning of scoreless relief with two K's.
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Baseball Races Past Citrus in Non-Conference Contest
March 12, 2017Kodi Koorndyk made the best of his first starting opportunity of the season, throwing six solid innings, allowing one run and six hits while striking out nine batters in Ventura's 9-1 victory over Citrsu Sunday afternoon at Pirate Park. Blake Chiaramonte was 3-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored and Taylor Campos had a hit and two walks with an RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored.
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Ventura Lets One Slip Away Late Against Raiders
March 11, 2017This one might be called the one that got away, holding a 7-2 advantage with six outs remaining, the Pirate baseball team fell 7-6 to visiting Moorpark in extra innings after allowing a five-run eighth inning. Dylan Francis pitched a solid six innings, giving up two earned runs with five strikeouts and Brendan Griffith led the offense with a 4-6 day at the plate.
