Zack Chavez stroked a two-run single to right field to snap a 5-5 tie in the eighth on Thursday and SBCC went on to post an 11-5 baseball victory over Oxnard at Pershing Park. Two pitches earlier, Chavez fouled off a bunt on a safety squeeze with runners at second and third.
“Some of our guys have had a hard time making adjustments at the plate,” said coach Teddy Warrecker. “Zack is a guy that’s very aggressive. Everything usually happens to the pull side. On his prior at-bat, we had talked about letting the ball travel in the zone and driving it to the right side. That was one of the few times this year that he’s driven the ball to the right and it ends up being a huge hit.”
Corey Krupp went 3-for-5 and stole two bases in the first inning, pulling him into a tie for the Vaqueros’ single-season stolen base record with Jon DeAlba (2007) and Jed Easterbrook (1991). Krupp, who raised his batting average to .324, has stolen 32 bases in 34 tries this year (.941).
“I’m thinking about that record every time I get on now,” said Krupp, a sophomore center fielder from Cary, Ill. “It was a delayed steal on the first pitch. When I stole third, I was just reading the pitch in the dirt.”
It was the fifth straight home win for the Vaqueros (21-17, 8-13), who improved to 14-6 at Pershing.
Catcher Steven Keller homered for the second straight game and Aaron Bauman’s solo shot gave SBCC a 2-0 lead in the fourth. The Vaqueros extended the advantage to 5-1 in the fifth on singles by Sean Costella, Chavez and Jacob Trimble. Krupp brought Costella home with a sacrifice fly and Chavez scored on a wild pitch.
“Corey continues to get better as the season progresses,” said Warrecker. “The coach from Delaware (where ex-SBCC third baseman Carlos Alonso has a team-high .392 average) was here today to look at him and a couple other guys. He had the kind of day and he has the kind of tools that can open your eyes.”
After Oxnard (12-25, 5-16) tied the game at 5 with two runs in the eighth, SBCC erupted for six in the bottom of the frame. With one out, the Vaqueros put together five straight hits, followed by a walk and a hit batter. Chavez and Keller had two-run singles in the uprising, which featured 11 batters and six hits.
“They threw a new pitcher out there and he was a little easier to hit off,” noted Krupp. “He wasn’t locating his breaking ball, so everyone was sitting on his fastball.”
Right-hander Blake McFarland, who started the day with a 2.77 ERA, pitched seven-plus innings before Greg Pellici entered with no outs, a runner on third and the Vaqueros clinging to a 5-4 lead. After walking the first batter, Pellici induced a double-play grounder but J.C. Aguayo scored on the play to knot it at 5.
Pellici struck out the side in the ninth.
“We’re still playing for the playoffs until someone tells us differently,” stated Warrecker.
SBCC has four games remaining, starting on Saturday game at Moorpark.
SBCC 11, OXNARD 5
Oxnard ……….. 000 012 020 — 5 8 1
SBCC …………. 010 220 06x — 11 15 0
Juarez, Reyes (8) and McDonnell; McFarland, Pellici (8) and Keller, Gregory (9). W–Pellici (2-3). L–Reyes.
2B–O: Gallinot, Aguayo. SB: Leighty, Krupp. 3B–O: Aguayo. HR–SB: Keller (3), 2nd inn., none on; Bauman (5), 4th inn., one on.
Records–O 12-25, 5-16. SB 21-18, 8-13.
