The VC baseball team dropped a 13-8 decision against Irvine Valley Friday afternoon at Pirate Park. Hector Pina was 3-4 at the plate with a run scored and a run batted in while Henry Borjas and Grant Rodriguez each had two hits. Victor Tostado came out of the bull pen and pitched three scoreless innings with a strikeout.
The Pirates spotted the Lasers four runs in the top of the first with a HBP, three walks, a wild pitch and one single.
VC came back with three runs in the bottom of the frame,however. Borjas and Rodriguez each hit one-out singles and moved to second and third on Caden Stillwell's fly-out to center. After Frederico Tiburtini walked, Ben Drumheller hit a two-RBI single. Pina followed with another RBI single and Ventura trailed 4-3 after one.
Unfortunately, IVC also scored three runs in the second and another two in the fourth to hold a 9-3 margin.
Ventura got things going again with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Pina singles and Riley Dalto was hit by a pitch. Hunter Cervantes reached base on an error to load the bases before Adam Arth made it to first on a fielder's choice that scored Pina. Borjas followed with an RBI single, the Rodriguez tripled in two runs to pull Ventura to within 9-7.
The Pirates added another run on the bottom of the fifth to inch closer to IVC. Dalto hit a scarifice fly to score Tiburtini, who had led off the frame with a single, for a 9-8 VC deficit.
Tostado got the Pirates to the eighth inning trailing by one run. The Lasers pulled away in the top of the frame with four runs to set the final margin.
Ventura will next travel to Compton on Saturday Feb. 1 for a 1:00 pm game against the Tartars.