Joe McGrew threw eight dominating innings Wednesday and SBCC rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat L.A. Valley 7-3 on the second day of the Channel Coast Baseball Tournament at Pershing Park.
Leadoff hitter Danny Cavaletto went 2-4 and had a two-run single to right during a five-run uprising in the second. Catcher Steven Keller hit his fourth homer, a solo shot in the eighth, to boost the lead to 6-3 and Taylor Lyons added an RBI double. The Vaqueros (15-9) won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 9-3 at home.
“I was looking for something on the outside half,” said Cavaletto, one of five former Dos Pueblos High players on the squad. “With a full count, I was looking for anything close.”
Santa Barbara, which has 41 homers this year, improved to 15-0 when scoring seven or more runs.
McGrew, a sophomore left-hander who’s signed to play at UCSB, held the Monarchs to three unearned runs on four hits over eight innings. He struck out five and walked three to improve to 4-1.
“I didn’t exactly have my best stuff, so I figured out what was working and went with that,” said the 6-4 McGrew, who struck out the side in the eighth, capped by a strikeout of pinch-hitter Brandon Ashford on three straight curveballs with runners on first and second. “We’re finding the barrel on offense and making adjustments throughout the game. Our team’s starting to take off.”
Coach Teddy Warrecker said McGrew was able to throw his breaking ball for strikes. In one stretch, from the third to the eighth innings, he faced the mininum of 15 batters and didn’t allow a hit.
“He went to the curve later in the day and had great command,” Warrecker said. “He threw three straight to the pinch hitter to get the great punchout there. Then Kylin (Turnbull) comes on and throws a dominating ninth inning.
“I think Sam Johnston had one of his best days at shortstop. His ability to verbalize and be the quarterback of the infield is really starting to show up.”
The Vaqueros’ final game in the tourney against L.A. Mission has been postponed from Thursday to Friday. It’s tenatively scheduled for noon at SBCC but could move, depending on whether or not the Vaquero softball team gets rained out on Thursday.
L.A. Valley …….. 030 000 000 — 3 4 4
SBCC ……………. 050 000 02x — 7 6 3
Robles, Goebel (6) and Castellanos; McGrew, Turnbull (9) and Keller. W–McGrew 4-1. L–Robles 1-1.
2B–SB: Lyons. HR–SB: Keller (4), 8th inn., none on.
Records–LAV 5-16-1. SBCC 15-9.
