Ventura’s Late Push Falls Short in Road Loss at Irvine

The Pirate baseball jumped out to an early lead and pounded out 13 hits, but Irvine Valley used a series of timely rallies and strong relief pitching to hand the Pirates a 7-5 road loss on Tuesday. Matthew Ramirez went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in to pace the Pirates' attack and Aiden Nykoluk added a 2-for-4 effort, including a double and a run scored, helping Ventura build its early lead and stay within striking distance late.

Ventura struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-1 edge, then added another run in the third to move in front 3-1. Irvine answered immediately, pushing across two runs in the bottom of the third to pull even at 3-3 and shift the momentum. The Lasers kept the pressure on in the fourth, plating two more to grab a 5-3 lead they would not relinquish.

IVC continued to build its advantage with single runs in the fifth and seventh innings to go up 7-4. The Pirates kept battling, cutting the deficit to 6-4 with a run in the sixth and adding another in the eighth to make it 7-5, but Ventura stranded 11 runners on base and could not come up with the decisive hit to complete the comeback.

Offensively, Ventura consistently threatened, led by a standout day from Ramirez and Nykoluk. Tyler Field also added a pair of hits and an RBI to the Ventura effort. The Pirates out-hit Irvine Valley 13-10 and matched the Lasers with two errors, but the home team's run production with runners on base proved to be the difference.

On the mound, Daniel Morge was tagged with the loss for Ventura after Irvine Valley's middle-inning surge. Alex Villacana and Johnny Levelis each gave up one run in two innings of work in relief.

The Pirates next will host Riverside on Friday Feb. 13 to begin a two-game home-and-home series with the Tigers.