Baseball Splits Pair of Weekend Home Games

The Pirate baseball team split a pair of home games over the weekend, falling to Chaffey 10-6 Friday before posting a 6-5 walk-off victory over citrus on Saturday. Jacob Harris had a two-out single on Saturday in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Hunter Klingelhoffer to walk-off the weekend for the Pirates (7-4).

Ventura 6, Chaffey 10
The Pirates let a 6-2 lead slip away, giving up eight runs in the final four innings of the loss to the Panthers. AJ Medrano had a pair of hits with one run batted in while scoring three times while TJ Foreman continued his strong start withe two hits, including a double, with a walk and one run scored. Zane Chittenden had a single and a double an two RBI while Gabe Baldovino also knocked in two runs. Jacob martinez had a strong start on the mound, pitching five complete innings and giving up two runs, one earned, while striking out four Chaffey batters.

After giving up a run in the top of the first, VC took a 2-1 lead on Chittenden's RBI double and Sam Langler's sacrifice fly.

Chaffey tied the score in the second inning before Ventura crossed the plate twice in the bottom of the third. Steele Ledford singled and scored on Chittenden's base hit and Baldovino reached on a fielder's choice to score Medrano.

The Pirates followed that up with two more runs in the fifth, beginning with a double by Foreman. Medrano batted him home, then scored on another fielder's choice by Baldovino.

Unfortunately, the Ventura bullpen could not hold the lead, giving up three runs in the sixth and seventh innings, and another two in the eighth for the final 10-6 margin.

Ventura 6, Citrus 5
The Pirates rebounded Saturday with a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Owls. Junior Sandoval pounded out three hits with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Pirates while Harris and Ethan Balolong each had two hits and one run batted in. VC used eight pitchers in the "pitch-by committee" game with Brent Dickey recording the final five outs to record the victory.

The Pirates played small ball while scoring four runs in the third inning. Chittenden had an RBI on a bases loaded fielder's choice and Baldovino walked with the bases juiced. Sandoval had an RBI single, then Conor Mormon drew  bases loaded walk.

Ventura gave up single scores in the fourth and seventh innings, before taking a 5-2 lead after the seventh-inning stretch. Sandoval had a one-out single and stole second before Balolong singles him home.

The Pirates yielded three runs in the top of the eighth as Citrus tied the game at 5-5, setting up the walk-off heroics.

After two strikeouts to lead off the bottom of the ninth, Klingelhoffer pinch hit and drew a base on balls. Balolong singled him to second before Harris' single brought home the game-winner.

The Pirates next hit the diamond on Wednesday Feb. 27 at Riverside.