HUNTINGTON BEACH – The SBCC baseball team won its third straight game to open the year, pulling away late in a 9-5 win at Golden West in the first of three games last week. In Saturday's doubleheader two days later, the Rustlers took both games by scores of 11-2 and 15-10.
Both Santa Barbara and Golden West are now out to 3-2 starts.
GAME ONE (SBCC 9, GWC 5)
Thursday's series opener saw SBCC register double-figures in the hit department for the first time in the young season. Third baseman Gavin Haimovitz led the way with three hits, including a solo home run in the top of the second inning.
Catcher Andrew McKenna was the only other Vaquero with multiple hits, going for two. His single to left in the third inning scored a run from first baseman Mark Hernandez, tying the game at 3-3.
The Vaqueros did most of their damage in the seventh. Doubles from Caiden Matheny and Hernandez brought in three runs to double the SBCC advantage. Hernandez and Haimovitz both capitalized on Rustler mistakes to make it an 8-3 game, capping the Vaqueros' second five-run inning of the year.
The Rustlers cut into the lead with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but Hernandez would help ice the game with his third run of the day, scoring on a sacrifice fly to center field by McKenna in the top of the ninth.
Aiden Garza earned his first win of the year, striking out three in just over four innings pitched without giving up an earned run.
GAME TWO (GWC 11, SBCC 2)
Saturday began with the most lopsided game of the series. However, SBCC actually struck first in the top of the third.
Justin Deal and Caiden Matheny both got on base with singles. Pearce Blaney stepped up with one out on the board to hit an RBI single to right field. Gabe Baldavino got an RBI as well, grounding out to second base but bringing Matheny home in the process.
Unfortunately for the Vaqueros, they would be shut out the rest of the way. Golden West tied the game with two runs in the fourth and went up 4-2 the following inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the Rustlers tallied five hits and earned four walks. Seven players rounded the bases as the home side ran away with the lead.
Hernanadez had a team-high with two of the Vaqueros' five hits. Pitcher Decker Mac Neil (0-1) had five strikeouts while giving up just two earned runs in four innings.
GAME THREE (GWC 15, SBCC 10)
The final game of the week yielded fireworks from both offenses, as the Rustlers racked up 17 hits to SBCC's new season-best 14. Hernandez had three RBI, while Matheny and Carson Cahoy had two each.
Both teams matched each other with three runs in the first inning. In the fourth, Hernandez hit a two-run double to right to tie it at 5-5. The Vaqueros regained the lead in the fifth, 7-5, following a solo home run by Matheny and a run from Cahoy on a GWC error.
The Rustlers answered with six runs over the fifth and sixth innings, taking an 11-7 lead. Trailing 15-8 heading into the eighth, the Vaqueros got runs from Blaney and Haimovitz. However, the inning would end with the bases loaded, and SBCC wasn't able to cut into the lead the rest of the way.
NEXT UP
The Vaqueros head to West LA this Thursday for a 2:00 p.m. game before returning home for their next two contests.
