Pirates Fall at Oxnard Despite Nine-Hit Effort

The VC baseball team produced a nine-hit effort at Oxnard Tuesday, but managed two runs in their 10-2 loss to the Condors. Oxnard scoring in five different innings and slowly pulled away from Ventura throughout the game. Hector Pina was 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and Grant Rodriguez added two hits and a run batted in during the contest.

The Condors broke a scoreless game in the second and methodically built a 9-0 cushion by the end of the fifth. Ventura finally broke through in the late frames, pushing across single runs in the seventh and ninth, but the Pirates' offense was unable to generate the big inning needed to climb back into contention.

VC finished with nine hits on the day, frequently putting runners on base but stranding eight. Pina paced the Pirates' attack with a three-hit performance that included two extra-base hits, providing consistent quality at-bats in the middle of the lineup. Ventura's first run came in the seventh inning, when Rodriguez delivered an RBI to get the Pirates on the board at 10-1.

In the ninth, Ventura continued to compete to the final out. Lucas Martinov added an RBI to trim the margin to 10-2, highlighting the Pirates' late offensive push. Ventura put together traffic in multiple innings, but Oxnard's defense avoided mistakes while turning Ventura's remaining opportunities into stranded runners.

Ventura was hurt by two defensive errors that extended innings and helped Oxnard cash in for 10 runs on 10 hits.

VC will continue the three-game set with the Condors at Pirate Park on Thursday Mar. 12.