SBCC’s Tony Simon slides safely into home after a double by Tyler Sharpe in the fourth inning. Simon extended his hitting streak to 25 games. (Jeanise Eaton photos)
SBCC jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead on Saturday at Pershing Park and never looked back in a 9-4 baseball victory over Hancock. The Vaqueros took advantage of two hits and five walks in the first frame.
Tyler Sharpe went 2-3 with a double, three RBIs and three runs and Colby Taylor belted his first homer of the year — a two-run blast to right field that capped a four-run fourth inning and stretched the lead to 9-1.
?First pitch of the at-bat was a high inside curveball that really didn?t have much break,? said Taylor, a freshman left-hander from San Jose. ?On the next pitch, I was sitting fastball figuring he couldn?t get it over for a strike. I saw a curveball out of his hand again and sure enough, in the same spot.
?I turned on it and burned it.?
Mark Jebbia went 2-3 and drove in a run for the Vaqueros (17-13, 9-5), who won their second straight and fifth in six games to remain in a first-place tie in the WSC North with Cuesta.
Tony Simon singled to center in the sixth, extending his hit streak to 25 games. He?s hit safely in 28 of 30 games this year and he?s second on the team with a .319 batting average.
Colby Taylor celebrates after hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Tyler Gilbert (8-1) got the win for the Vaqueros, giving up four runs in eight innings with nine strikeouts and two walks. He held the Bulldogs (13-17, 5-9) to one run on five hits in the first five innings.
Hancock starter Marc Baker struggled early, walking eight batters in the first two-plus innings. He walked the bases loaded with one out in the first and Sharp drilled a line-drive single up the middle to score two. Simon scored on a fielder?s choice by Taylor and Jared Dinges singled in Sharpe to make it 4-0.
?With a guy that can?t find the zone, it gives us so much of an advantage mentally,? said Taylor. ?He just shuts down and can?t throw anything for a strike but his fastball. And when he does, we just bang it.?
SBCC swept the season series from Hancock 4-0.
?We won the strike-throwing contest,? said coach Jeff Walker. ?Kudos to our hitters because it?s tough when a guy?s throwing a lot of balls. It was a great job of working together, 1 through 9, in the first inning and we got to their bullpen early, which was a goal.
?The one thing I was proud of was we stayed in character, we didn?t try to get outside of what we do. That?s a real positive.?
The Vaqueros host Cuesta in a first-place showdown on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
Hancock ??.. 010 003 000 — 4 8 1
SBCC ???? 401 400 00x — 9 8 1
Baker, Skipper (4), St. Laurent (5) and Regalado, Welker (6); Gilbert, Van Aken (9) and Dinges. W–Gilbert 8-1. L–Baker 5-6.
2B–H: Regalado, Bendele, Smith. SB: Sharpe, Reveles. HR–SB: Taylor (1), 4th inn., one on.
