Pirates Fall in Extra Innings to LA Mission

The VC baseball team scored runs in the eighth and ninth innings Saturday to force extra's, but eventually fell 8-6 in 10 to visiting Los Angeles Mission College. Jacob Harris and Hunter Klingelhoffer both homered for Ventura (3-1) but it was not enough to send the Pirates to their fourth straight victory to open the season. Riley Langerman had three hits, including a double, and Omar Gastelum had two hits and a run batted in.

Harris got the Pirates on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles scored a pair in the top of the fourth to briefly take the lead, but VC came right back with two in the bottom half of the frame. Harris hit an RBI single with the bases loaded, scoring Tommy Gibbons-Matsuyama, then Klingelhoffer followed with a sacrifice fly to score Gastelum. Ventura led 3-2 after four innings of play.

Ventura added another run in the fifth inning. Gastelum hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to centerfield scoring Gabe Baldovino for a 4-2 advantage.

Things turned in a bad way for the Pirates in the seventh and eighth innings as LAMC scored twice in each frame to take a 6-4 lead.

Undeterred, VC came back with Klingelhoffer's solos shot in the eight and Harris' sac fly in the ninth to score pinch runner Jacob Martinez in the bottom of the ninth to tie things up.

In the first extra frame, Mission plated a pair of runs for an 8-6 lead. In the bottom of the 10th, Ventura had the tying run on second base with two outs, but could not get the clutch hit to extend the game.

Travis Nelson go the start on the mound for Ventura, pitching four innings and giving up two runs. Wyatt Santilena and Noah Bullard each pitched an inning without yielding a run.

VC concludes the two-game set with the Eagles on Tuesday Feb. 4 in San Fernando.