In their final game before conference play, the Pirate baseball team dropped a 3-2 decision to Antelope Valley at Pirate Park Saturday. Kaden Betsch and Rodolfo Aguilar each had two hits and an RBI, and Chris McKee also knocked out two hits. Dylan Francis pitched five solid innings, yielding two unearned runs and Charlie Brooks threw four frames, giving up one run for Ventura (8-5).
The Marauders got on the board first in the top of the first inning, scoring a pair of unearned runs following a two-out error.
VC came back in the bottom half of the inning to score one run. McKee singled to lead things off, stealing second base and advancing to third on an error. Aguilar followed with an RBI single to make the score 2-1.
Both teams then posted zero's on the board until the top of the sixth when AVC plated their third run of the game.
Ventura drew closer with another score in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Shane Gipson doubled, then moved to third on a passed ball. Betsch came up with the clutch RBI single. After a McKee single, VC left two runners in scoring position to end the inning and trailed 3-2.
In the bottom of the ninth, Elijah Alexander led off the inning with a single, and was sacrificed to second by Taylor Campos. But the Pirates were unable to plate the tying run, and fell by the 3-2 count.
Ventura begins Western State Conference North Division play at home on Tuesday March 7 against Oxnard College. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm at Pirate Park.