Sitting in third place in the WSC the Ventura College baseball team took on second place Santa Barbara City in an important conference match up. The Pirates dropped a 6-1 decision to the Vaqueros as their offense mustered just four total hits. Tony Fonzo picked up a single, drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. Brison Cronenbold scored the lone Pirate run. Zachary Martirano gave the Pirates an inning of scoreless relief.
Ventura (17-16, 10-11) needed a win to stay in the race for second place in the Western State Conference North, but falling behind 3-0 after two innings put the Pirates in a tough situation. The VC offense rallied to load the bases with nobody out in the third inning, but Ventura manged just one run out of the situation. It was the lone the Pirates scored in the game as the Vaqueros added insurance runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings while limiting the Ventura offense to just four hits and five walks to go with one hit by pitch in the game.
Adisson Pelupessy started for Ventura and went five innings allowing four runs, struck out four and walked three while allowing six hits. Carlos Soto relieved him and went two innings allowign two hits, two runs only one earned while striking out one hitter. Martirano came in for the ninth inning to retire all three hitters he faced.
Cody Pope, Erick Allegro and Pelupessy each picked up hits. Allegro drove in the lone Pirate run of the game with an RBI fielders choice.
Ventura will complete their series with SBCC on Tuesday Apr. 26 with a 2:30 pm game at the Pirate Baseball Complex.