Abe Ruiz went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and a double Saturday afternoon and SBCC’s offense came to life in an 11-2 baseball rout of Moorpark at Pershing Park.
“We had a nice team meeting (on Friday) led by our ace pitcher, Zach Edgington, and it brought the group together,” said Ruiz, who scored three runs in the first four innings as the Vaqueros built a 6-2 lead. “I finally hit the ball the other way and that made coach happy.”
Ruiz, a left-handed transfer from Arizona State, drilled his fifth homer to left leading off the third, then doubled in the fourth and came around to score on a balk and wild pitch. Catcher Steven Keller was 3-5 wtih a two-run homer in the sixth for the Vaqueros (8-8, 1-2), who posted their first WSC North win and improved to 6-2 at home.
Sam Johnston, Tommy White, Conner Rehage and Chase Yost all contributed two hits each to the 16-hit attack that included two homers and four doubles.
Starting pitcher Greg Selarz (2-0) threw 116 pitches, allowing just two runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out a season-high nine and walked four. In the fifth, he escaped a bases-loaded jam by picking a runner off second and getting a forceout.
“We got some good at-bats early in the game and got another good effort from our starting pitcher, going six innings,” said SBCC coach Teddy Warrecker. “Greg really, really competed today.
“We scored 11 runs and that makes life a lot easier.”
The Vaqueros travel to Moorpark on Tuesday and Ventura on Thursday.
Moorpark …… 100 100 000 — 2 7 3
SBCC ………… 201 313 10x — 11 16 2
Karp, Quesada (5), Hunt (7) and Cobb; Selarz, Gunderson (7), Alvarez (8), Vazquez (9) and Keller. W–Selarz 2-0. L–Karp 0-1.
2B–M: Hockenberry, M. Toczynski. SB: White, Pecyna, Ruiz, Yost. HR–SB: Ruiz (5), 3rd inn., none on; Keller (2), 6th inn., one on.
Records–MC 5-9-1, 0-3. SBCC 8-8, 1-2.
