SBCC scored three times in the eighth to erase a 5-2 deficit on Thursday and went on to beat Ventura 7-5 in a 10-inning baseball game on the road.
Chito Elias went 3-for-5 with two doubles, including an RBI double in the 10th that scored Colt McLaughlin and gave the Vaqueros a 6-5 lead. Joey Gonzalez followed with a single and Tommy White’s sacrifice fly scored Elias with the final run.
It was the fifth straight win and eighth in 10 games for the Vaqueros (16-12, 10-4), who remained in a first-place tie with Cuesta in the WSC North. Santa Barbara won the season series with Ventura, 3-1.
DJ Gunderson (3-3) got the win with three innings of no-run, no-hit relief. Chris Joyce went the first seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.
Trailing 5-2 in the eighth, the Vaqueros got a single from Cody Giordano, a long RBI double by Joey Epperson, a single by McLaughlin and an RBI single by Elias to make it 5-4. McLaughlin scored the tying run on a passed ball.
McLaughlin was 2-4 with three runs scored and Robert Vickers went 2-5 for the Vaqueros, who had a season-high 14 hits.
“Epperson hit the ball on the nose four times but only came away with one hit,” said coach Ryan Thompson. “We played tough. Gunderson was fantastic in the last three innings.
“I was happy to see us go ahead in the 10th and happier to see the second run. It’s a lot easier to pitch with a two-run lead.”
The Vaqueros will host Hancock on Saturday at 1 p.m.
SBCC ………. 020 000 030 2 — 7 14 1
Ventura …… 200 001 200 0 — 5 7 2
Joyce, Gunderson (8) and White; Gwynn, Yingling (9) and Boys. W–Gunderson 3-3. L–Yingling 1-2.
2B–SB: Elias 2, Epperson, White. V: Nathanson 2. HR–V: Yingling (5), 7th inn., one on
