Baseball breaks game open in fourth, rolls past LA Pierce 24-2

The Pirate baseball team broke a scoreless game open with four runs in the fourth inning and never let up Tuesday, overpowering Los Angeles Pierce 24-2 in Woodland Hills. Santiago Avila totaled four hits with two runs batted in and two runs scored to help lead the offensive explosion while Grant Rodriguez had a double and a triple with two RBI while scoring four runs.  Nate Slaton got on base six times with three hits and three walks, scoring four times. The Pirates scored in six innings overall and turned the game into a rout with additional surges in the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth behind a deep offensive performance and a strong start from Johnny Levelis.

The decisive stretch came in the fourth, when Ventura seized control with a four-run inning keyed by Slaton's RBI double. The Pirates added three more runs in the fifth to push the lead to 7-0, then kept piling on. Ventura scored once in the sixth, five times in the seventh, six times in the eighth and five more in the ninth, finishing with 24 runs on 19 hits.

Several Ventura hitters fueled the outburst. Avila, Slaton and Rodriguez led the way while Damien Valdez and Lucas Martinov each scored three runs in the game. Ventura showed patience throughout the lineup, drawing 12 walks while striking out only three times.

Levelis set the tone on the mound. The Ventura starter worked seven innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out eight and walking one. Ventura's pitching staff held LA Pierce to four hits and two runs across nine innings, striking out 12 batters overall. LA Pierce did not score until the seventh inning, and its only extra-base damage came in the eighth.

VC returns home on Thursday Apr. 16 to host Moorpark. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm at Pirate Park.