Power Surge Leads Ventura Past Citrus, 22-5

The Ventura College baseball team continued their power surge in a big way Friday afternoon in Glendora, pounding out 20 hits, nine for extra bases, including a pair of home runs in the Pirates' 22-5 victory over Citrus College. TJ Foreman finished a double away from the cycle, recording four hits with four runs scored and three runs batted in while Steele Ledford, AJ Medrano, Zane Chittenden and Junior Sandoval all had three hits each. The 22 runs is the most for the Pirates in at least six seasons.

Foreman and Gabe Baldovino both went yard for the Pirates (4-2) who lead the state with nine home runs on the season. Baldovino finished with a pair of hits with three runs scored and two RBI. Ledford and Medrano each scored three times and knocked in three runs and Sandoval scored twice with three RBI. Zane Chittenden and Brian Guy each contributed two runs batted in to the effort.

Ventura scored single runs in both the first and second innings, solo home runs by Foreman and Baldovino, respectively. VC hung six up in the third frame, starting the inning off with a triple by Foreman and doubles by Medrano and Chittenden. Baldovino had an RBI single in the frame, and Ledford batted in a pair of scores with a single.

After yielding three runs in the bottom half of the third, and another in the fourth inning, the Pirates scored three runs in the fifth. Medrano had a bases-loaded double to score two runs, and Chittenden doubled home a run, as well. 

Already leading 11-4, Ventura broke the game open with an eight-run sixth inning. They sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame that started off single, single, walk, walk, single and single before the first out was recorded. Ledford drew a bases-loaded walk for an RBI and Foreman singled in two runs. With one out, Guy singled home two, and after another walk and a pitching change, Sandoval cleared the bases with a three-RBI double.

Citrus scored one run in the seventh, and the Pirates added three in the ninth for good measure to set the final margin.

Jackson Hickert got the nod on the hill for the Pirates, pitching three innings and giving up three runs with three strike outs. Sergio Linares pitched an inning before Travis Weston came on to throw the final five frames with seven punch outs to pick up the victory. 

Ventura travels to Riverside on Wednesday Feb. 13 to play under the lights before returning to Pirate Park on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16 for a three-game set with Monterey Peninsula.