Sam Johnston blasted his first two homers and drove in four runs Thursday, leading SBCC to a 19-6 WSC North baseball rout at Ventura.
Johnston, a freshman shortstop from Kenmore, Wash., went 4-for-6 with two homers, a double and three runs scored. He hit a two-run shot in the second and a solo blast in the fifth for the Vaqueros (10-8, 3-2), who scored a season-high 19 runs on 19 hits. SBCC has amassed 41 runs on 51 hits while winning its last three games.
“I had a long sit-down with Sam after practice (on Wednesday),” said coach Teddy Warrecker. “Progress won’t come without change. He’s carrying a huge load as a freshman shortstop hitting leadoff. I think he took our talk to heart.”
Tommy White went 3-for-5 with an RBI while Daniel Howell was 2-4 with a homer and three RBIs. The Vaqueros scored seven runs in the third and five more in the fourth to take a 16-0 lead. Every starter had at least one hit.
Howell led off the fifth with a prodigious solo homer. “He hit it across the street and it landed in someone’s yard,” noted Warrecker. “Don Adams (Ventura’s veteran coach) said it was the longest homer he’s even seen in their park.”
Joe McGrew (3-1) went seven innings and allowed six runs (one earned) with seven strikeouts. The Vaqueros turned three double plays but also had five errors.
The same teams will meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pershing Park.
SBCC 19, VENTURA 6
Ventura ……… 000 033 000 — 6 7 6
McGrew, Alvarez (8), Perry (9) and Keller, Trevino (8); Gwynn, Perkins (3), Tybursky (3), Geary (3), Hotchkiss (6), Doherty (8) and Lipman. W–McGrew 3-1. L–Gwynn.
2B–SB: Johnston, White, Cavaletto, Howell. V: Grattan, Solis, Barry. HR–SB: Johnston (1), 2nd inn., one on; Howell (4), 5th inn., none on; Johnston (2), 5th inn., none on.
Records–SBCC 10-8, 3-2. VC 6-8, 1-4.
