The Pirate baseball team continued to produce runs Saturday defeating Citrus 17-11 at Pirate Park. VC's first four batters, Reiss Calvin, Connor Hickey, Mason Reid and Haiden Letzing went a combined 11-17, including three doubles, a triple and a home run, with 11 runs batted in and eight runs scored. In total, the VC offense banged out 19 hits in the barrage. On the mound, Jared Hughes started and pitched five complete innings, yielding three earned runs to earn the victory.
Citrus plated three runs, two unearned, in the first inning to take hold the early advantage.
VC (2-4) got one back in their first at=bat, however, as Hickey hit a one-out triple and Reid hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home.
After the Owls scored one more in the second, VC matched. Braeden MacCormic hit a one-out single, and one out later, Yuki Kawashima reached base on an error. Calvin followed by singling in a run making it 4-2 for Citrus.
Reid led off the third with a solo home run, and after giving up another score in the top of the fourth, the Pirates came back to take the lead in the bottom of the frame. Gage Allen and Kawashima each singles with one out before Calvin doubled in a run. Kawashima scored on a wild pitch and Hickey hit a sacrifice fly to score Calvin. The Pirates led 6-5 after four complete.
Ventura took control with a three-run fifth inning. Letzing singled to lead off and came around to score when Omar Santamaria reached base on an error. Allen singled home Andrew Savage one batter later and Hickey was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs to score Santamaria.
The Owls closed the gap to 9-7 with a pair of scores in the sixth inning, and VC put the game away with a five-run seventh.
Tanner Rowe got on base by a Citrus error to lead off and Kawashima hit an RBI triple one out later. Calvin followed with a sacrifice fly to left field before Hickey singled and stole second. Reid and Letzing hit back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles and Savage hit and RBI single to extend the Pirate margin to 14-7.
A three-run eight by Citrus was answered by three runs for the Pirates in the bottom half of the frame. Kawashima, Calvin and Letzing all batted in runs for the Pirates.
Livio Bundi came on to record two outs in the eighth and pitched the final column to finish off the Owls, striking out three of the five batters he faced.
Letzing totaled four hits on the day, including a double, with two RBI and two runs scored and Hickey had a triple and a pair of singles with three runs scored and two runs batted in. Calvin, meanwhile, had a pair of hits with one run scored and four RBI and Reid recorded a home run and a double with three RBI and two runs scored. Kawashima added three hits, including a double and a triple, with an RBI and three runs scored and Allen had two singles with a pair of runs scored and an RBI.
The Pirates next head to San Diego on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9 and 10, for a three game set at Mesa College.