In 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.
Dylan Francis started on the hill for the Pirates, allowing three runs in 3.2 innings of work. Charlie Brooks threw four innings of relief allowing a single run.
Ventura took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. With one out, Aguilar doubled followed by a Blake Chiaramonte walk. The two baserunners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch before Aguilar scored on Brendan Griffith's groundout. Bryson Wallet then struck out, but reached first base on a wild pitch as Chiaramonte scored VC's second run of the frame.
VC scored three times in the second inning on a single hit. Kaden Betsch led off with a walk, and moved to second when T.J. Durfee reached base on an error. Shane Gipson then got to first on another error as Betsch came around to score. Chris McKee was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Aguilar knocked in Durfee with a single. Chiaramonte followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Gipson and it was 5-0.
The Bulldogs began their comeback in the top of the fourth inning with three runs, and VC countered with a score in the fifth. Wallet and Elijah Alexander had back-to-back one-out singles, and following the second out of the inning, Durfee singled to score Wallet.
Hancock scored one run in the top of the sixth inning before scoring three times in the top of the ninth to complete the comeback.
Ventura will close the regular season with a two-game set against conference leading Santa Barbara. Thy will travel north on Tuesday April 25 before returning to Pirate Park for the season finale on Thursday April 27. Both games are slated to begin at 2:30 pm.