A pick-off attempt pulled Irvine Valley's Sean Guite off the bag and SBCC baserunner Eli Michaels makes it back safely.
It didn’t take long for SBCC to jump ahead in Friday’s baseball game with Irvine Valley as Steven Reveles blasted a grand slam in the first inning. The Vaqueros built a 9-1 lead after five frames on the way to an 11-6 nonconference win at Pershing Park.
Steven Reveles, right, knocks helmets with teammates while crossing home plate after his grand slam in the first inning. (Presidio Sports Photos)
Reveles, a freshman shortstop from Dos Pueblos High, has seven RBIs in the last two days.
SBCC (6-6) loaded the bases in the first inning on a single by Eli Michaels, a walk to Joey Epperson and an error on a grounder. Reveles drilled his first homer to center field, extending his hitting streak to eight games
“It’s always important to score early when you’re playing a good team,” said Reveles, who‘s hitting .357. “I was looking for a pitch to drive and I got one.
“I’ve been seeing the ball really well and trying to stay middle-up in my approach. It’s been working out well.”
Left-hander Danny Nieves turned in a solid seven innings, holding the visitors to two runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked three.
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Michaels, the Vaqueros’ leadoff hitter, went 3-4 with three runs. His 15 runs are the second-most in California.
After hitting just one home run in their first 11 games, the Vaqueros had two on Friday to go along with two doubles and two triples. Third baseman Pat Cavalier had an RBI single in a four-run fourth and a towering solo homer down the right-field line in the fifth.
SBCC starting pitcher Danny Nieves lasted seven innings
“We swung the bats well,” said coach Jeff Walker. “We got our hottest hitter, Reveles, to the plate with the bases loaded and he came through. Up and down the lineup, we hit the ball the best we have all season.”
Santa Barbara scored a season-high 11 runs on 11 hits. “And we only struck out three times,” Walker added, followed by an emphatic, “Yeah!”
SBCC didn’t commit a single error in its two-game series with the Lasers (5-7). Irvine had four errors on Friday, leading to five unearned runs for the Vaqueros.
Irvine pulled within three, 9-6, after Brian Glynn hit a pinch-hit three-run homer off Stephen Brenna in the eighth. Lucas Benenati got the last out of the inning and then struck out the last two batters in the ninth to notch his second save.
Catcher Matt Balliet led the Lasers by going 2-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
The Vaqueros travel to Torrance to face El Camino on Tuesday.
SBCC 11, IRVINE VALLEY 6
Irvine Valley ……… 001 001 040 — 6 8 4
SBCC ……………… 400 410 02x — 11 11 0
Perez, Euler (5) and Balliet; Nieves, Brenna (8), Benenati (8) and Dinges. W–Nieves 1-2. L–Perez 0-3. Save–Benenati 2.
2B–IV: Guite, Balliet 2. SB: Zehner, Michaels. 3B–SB: Laubhan, Michaels. HR–IV: Glynn (1), 8th inn., two on. SB: Reveles (1), 1st inn., three on; Cavalier (1), 5th inn., none on.
