Vaqueros win 7-4, improve to 10-1 at home

Four SBCC pitchers combined on a six-hitter Thursday afternoon and the Vaqueros benefitted from four unearned runs in a 7-4 WSC North baseball win over Cuesta.

Tyler Gilbert went the first four innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight as the Vaqueros (15-4, 4-1) built a 3-0 lead. Cody Van Aken tossed the next two innings, giving up one run on one hit and earning his first win.

Kit Larson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.

SBCC, ranked No. 3 in Southern Cal, improved to 10-1 at Pershing Park this year. The Cougars fell to 4-14 and 0-5.

"It wasn't Tyler's best day and it wasn't our best by any stretch of the imagination," said SBCC coach Jeff Walker. "They made more mistakes than we did and we took advantage."

Four Cuesta pitchers held the Vaqueros to seven hits but also issued eight walks, hit two batters and threw four wild pitches. Santa Barbara stretched the lead to 6-0 in the fifth with three runs on one hit, three walks, a hit batter and two errors.

Connor McManigal went 3-4 for SBCC with an RBI single in the fifth. James Hill drove in the Vaqueros' first run, scoring Matt Henderson with a first-inning single to left.

"We were really opportunistic and took advantage of their downfalls," said Hill, a freshman catcher from Monterey. "The best thing about this team is there's no falloff at any position. It's great to have this much depth at the junior college level.

"Tyler didn't feel like he had his best stuff today but he still struck out eight in four innings and put up zeroes."

After Cuesta scored a run on a throwing error in the top of the sixth, the Vaqueros boosted the lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Evans walked with one out, went to second on Henderson's single and took third on a fielder's choice. He scored on a wild pitch.

The Vaqueros travel to San Luis Obispo to take on Cuesta on Saturday at 1 p.m.