Who needs a hit to score runs?
Santa Barbara didn’t on Friday in its Channel League baseball opener at Buena.
The Dons won 2-0 without the benefit of a hit.
“It’s pretty darn rare,” Santa Barbara assistant coach Mike Cooney said of winning a game without a hit.
The Dons scored their first run in the fourth. Collin Dewell hit an opposite-field high fly ball that the wind blew back into the field of play and was dropped by the left fielder.
“It could have been a wind-blown double, but Buena is the home team and they called it an error,” said Cooney.
Dewell scored on a Danny Zandona ground out.
Santa Barbara got an insurance run in the sixth. Spencer Fraker drew a walk after a 10-pitch at-bat, advanced to second on a sacrifice, went to third on a ball that got away from the catcher and scored on a wild pitch.
The runs came off Buena ace Drew Jacobs, who struck out 10 but walked three and hit two batters.
Zandona pitched a stellar game for the Dons. He struck out nine, didn’t walk a batter, gave up three hits and hit one batter, but he didn’t allow a baserunner past second base.
“In the three years I’ve worked with him, I have never seen him pitch better than he pitched today,” said Cooney.
“This was a great game,” he added. “Buena’s one of the favorites in league and we are too. It was an important game.”
Santa Barbara improves to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league; Buena is 4-2, 0-1.
The Dons play Calabasas today at the Chatsworth Tournament and face San Marcos at home on Tuesday.
Santa Barbara…000 101 0 — 2 0 0
Buena…000 000 0 — 0 3 1
Zandona and Eaton; Drew Jacobs and Burke. W—Zandona 3-0. L—Jacobs 2-1.
2B—B: Dietz.
