Conner Rehage had a perfect day on Tuesday at Pershing Park, going 4-for-4 with a grand slam, a double and eight RBIs in SBCC’s 19-4 baseball blowout of Hancock.
“I’ve been in a little slump and coach helped me with staying fundamentally sound,” said Rehage, a sophomore first baseman from Dos Pueblos High. “I was seeing the ball pretty good today. We knew we had to win and I was just doing what I could.”
The Vaqueros (20-14, 10-8) clinched third place in the WSC North and a probable spot in the 18-team Southern Cal Regional playoffs. They have a two-game lead over Cuesta (their opponent on Thursday in San Luis Obispo and Friday at Pershing) with two to play and Santa Barbara holds the tiebreaker edge.
Oxnard beat Ventura 13-4 to snap a first-place tie with Hancock (21-12, 13-5). Oxnard and Hancock will square off for the title in the last two games.
SBCC sent 26 batters to the plate in the first three innings and enjoyed a 13-1 lead following a six-run third inning. The Vaqueros loaded the bases in the first and scored two runs on bases-loaded walks.
In the second, Danny Cavaletto singled, Abe Ruiz doubled, Tommy White walked and Steven Keller reached on a fielder’s choice to set the stage for Rehage. The 6-5, 240-pound ex-quarterback drilled an opposite-field shot for his team’s first grand slam of the year. An inning later, he delivered a two-run single to right.
“Both times, Teddy told me to look for a pitch low and away and both times he was right, so I just took it to right field,” said Rehage, who leads the WSC with 12 homers and ranks second in the state. He also boosted his team-high RBI total to 40.
Daniel Howell, who had three hits and three RBIs, followed Rehage’s two-run double with a towering two-run homer over the 364-foot sign in right-center. Keller went 2-3 with two doubles and five runs scored for the Vaqueros, who improved to 17-2 when scoring at least seven.
“We got a win when we absolutely had to have it,” said Warrecker. “We beat a team that’s fighting for the conference championship in convincing fashion. Conner Rehage had a career day in one of our biggest games of the year.”
Rehage, who had a two-run single in the sixth as did Ignacio Elias, missed the school record for RBIs by two. In 2007, David Harris had two grand slams and drove in 10 runs in a game.
Greg Selarz improved to 5-1 by holding the Bulldogs to six runs (just one earned) on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. Ryan Gardner came on with a runner on second and one out in the sixth and following a walk, he got Peter Straka to hit into an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
“Greg has been pretty solid all year,” Warrecker noted. “Unfortunately we didn’t play catch very well behind him. That’s something that’s plagued us all year. Fortunately, the 19 runs and 20 hits were more than enough to overcome that. We got all over their starter, which was big, and got deep into their bullpen.”
It was the seventh home win in eight games for the Vaqueros, who are 14-4 at Pershing this year and have won 21 of their last 25 at home, dating back to last season.
SBCC travels to Cuesta on Thursday.
SBCC 19, HANCOCK 6
Hancock …… 010 032 000 — 6 8 0
SBCC ………..346 015 00x — 19 20 4
Creath, Halop (2), Sechler (4), Turbes (6), Paz (7) and Young, Davis (4); Selarz, Gardner (6), Turnbull (8), Vasquez (9) and Keller, Trevino (8). W–Selarz 5-1. L–Creath 6-3.
2B–H: Rivera. SB: Keller 2, Ruiz, Lauritzen, Rehage, Elias. HR–SB: Rehage (12), 2nd inn., three on; Howell (10), 3rd inn., one on.
Records–Hancock 21-12, 13-5. SBCC 20-14, 10-8
