The VC baseball team climbed out of a 7-0 hole in the middle of the sixth to send their game against Hancock to extra innings, only to fall 9-7 to the Bulldogs at Pirate park Saturday. Jacob Tostado had a pair of hits and two runs batted in while Haiden Letzing scored twice on two hits and a walk for Ventura (13-14, 5-9). Anthony Cuevas, Domingo Gaxiola and Jaden Valdez combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief to give the Pirates a chance in the end.
Hancock scored early with a three-run first inning and single runs in the third and fourth frames. They made it 7-0 with a two-spot in the top of the sixth.
Ventura got on the board in the home-half of the sixth when Letzing singled, Dylan Jackson doubled, then Peter Dufau hit an RBI single to score Letzing.
The Pirates added three more runs in the bottom of the seventh. With one out Bryce Elias tripled, then scored on Tostado's single. Letzing hit a double one out later, moving Tostado to third. Both runners then scored on a pair of Bulldog wild pitches to pull VC to within 7-4.
VC pulled even with a three-run eighth inning. Dufau led off with a single, and Evan DeVally followed with a pinch-hit single. After a pitching change, David King reached on a fielder's choice that retired DeVally at second before Dufau scored on a passed ball. Mason Reid drew a base on balls and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Henry Borjas before Elias hit an RBI single to score King. Borjas then came in to score on Tostado's RBI single to knot the game at 7-7.
Ventura had runners at second and third with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, but were unable to score and Hancock plated a pair of runs in the 11th for the 9-7 final margin.
The Pirates next host Los Angeles Pierce on Tuesday April 9.