Baseball Feasts with Big Win Over Oxnard

Its been feast or famine lately for the Pirate baseball team and Thursday's home game against Oxnard became an all-you-can-eat buffet. VC scored four runs in each of the first two innings en route to a 17-3 victory over the Condors at Pirate Park. Shortstop Jacob Tostado had four hits, including a double, and scored five runs while first baseman Haiden Letzing had a pair of hits with five runs batted in. Dominic Bayless pitched five complete innings, giving up two hits and one unearned run to pick up the win on the mound for Ventura (8-9, 2-5).

The Pirates got off to a fast start when Brandon Contreras tripled to lead off the bottom of the first. Yuki Kawashima then followed with a walk. During the next at bat, Kawashima stole second and Contreras stole home in a perfectly executed double-steal. Letzing then singled home Kawashima and Peter Dufau tripled home Letzing. Bryce Elias then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Dufau to put VC ahead 4-0.

VC followed with four more runs in the bottom of the second. Aaron McLeod walked and moved to third on Tostado's double. Contreras then had a two-RBI single and was replaced by pinch runner Ben Drumheller. Kawashima followed with a walk and both runners moved ahead one base on a wild pitch. Letzing then grounded out to third scoring Drumheller and moving Kawashima to third. Dufau followed with a sacrifice fly to right firls to score Kawashima for an 8-0 Pirate advantage.

Tostado singled to open the bottom of the third and came in to score when Letzing hit a sacrifice fly three batters later for a 9-0 margin.

Oxnard plated an unearned run in the top of the fourth, but VC got it back, and then some, with two in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Tostado singled then came home on Kawashima's triple. On the next at bat Kawashima scored on a wild pitch to make it 11-1 for VC.

Ventura continued the feast in the bottom of the sixth inning with four more runs. Mason Reid was hit by a pitch with one out, then moved ahead to second and third on a pair of wild pitches one out later. Tostado drew a two-out walk and Brayden Herrera struck out for the apparent third out, but advanced to first on a wild pitch. Reid then scored and the other runners moved ahead 90 feet on another wild pitch and Kawashima walked to reload the diamond. Letzing then hit a two-RBI single before Dufau struck out, but moved to first on another wild pitch that scored Kawashima.

The Condors plated a pair of runs in the top of the eighth and VC answered with two more scores in the bottom half of the column. David King knocked in Tostado with a single and Elias hit a sacrifice fly to score Herrera to set the final 17-3 margin.

Domingo Gaxiola came in from the bullpen to throw three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, with a pair of K's. Jaden Valdez pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Ventura recorded 13 hits on the day with Contreras and Letzing each with a pair of hits. Contreras and Dufau  each had a pair of RBI in the big win. 

VC next travels back to Oxnard on Saturday March 9 to complete the three-game series with the Condors. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.