Vaqueros held to 4 hits in 8-1 loss

SBCC had just four hits and five errors on Tuesday in an 8-1 WSC North baseball loss to Oxnard at Pershing Park.

The Condors (10-10, 3-5) broke open a 2-1 game with five runs on five hits in the seventh. The Vaqueros (11-11, 5-3) commited three errors in the inning.Oxnard right-hander Jesus Valdez went the first six innings to improve to 6-1. He allowed three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

“We hit some balls hard but we didn’t get enough runners in scoring position,” said coach Ryan Thompson. “That’s a darned-good pitcher over there. He’s a fifth-round draft pick and he knows what he’s doing.

“Offensively, I‘m disappointed that we only scored one run. But our defense took everything out of our sails. We played terrible and we played timid. That‘s where we lost this game.”

Kylin Turnbull pitched the first seven innings for Santa Barbara, giving up seven runs (five earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He entered the game with 52 strikeouts, the fifth-highest total in the state.

Three of SBCC’s four hits were doubles by Chito Elias, Joey Epperson and Daniel Howell. Jacob Mahan paced Oxnard’s 11-hit offense by going 4-5 with two RBIs.

The Vaqueros went down 1-2-3 in four of the first five innings. Tommy White led off the third with a single and scored on Andrew Smith’s single up the middle. SBCC loaded the bases in the ninth on Howell’s double and two walks. Pinch-hitter Robert Vickers flied to right to end the game.

Valdez, Cerda (7) and Landeros; Turnbull, Prokop (8) and White, Trevino (8). W–Valdez 6-1. L–Turnbull 2-2.
 2B–O: Cerda. SB: Elias, Epperson, Howell.