No. 2 Saddleback tops No. 17 Vaqueros 5-3

Third baseman Spencer Heinsius went 3-4 with three RBIs on Thursday night, sparking Saddleback to a 5-3 baseball win over SBCC at Doug Fritz Field in Mission Viejo.

The Gauchos, ranked No. 2 in Southern Cal, improved to 4-0 while the 17th-ranked Vaqueros fell to 1-1.

Sophomore left-hander Chase Lyford was sharp on the mound, holding the Vaqueros hitless through the first five innings. Leadoff hitter Joseph Hamilton got the first hit for Santa Barbara with a one-out single to center in the sixth. Lyford held the Vaqueros to one run on one hit in six innings with six strikeouts and one walk.

The Gauchos took a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-run, two-out double by Heinsius. The Vaqueros scored a run in the fourth when Hamilton walked, stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on Jake Holton's sacrifice fly.

Saddleback made it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Heinsius and added two more in the fifth for a 5-1 advantage. Tyler Clark had an RBI triple and scored on a passed ball.

Connor Brewster went five innings in his Vaquero debut, allowing five runs on seven hits.

The Vaqueros added a pair of runs in the seventh. Andrew Schatz doubled in Jake Holton, then Griffin Hennessey was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. The Gauchos brought in Michael Carr to pitch and he walked Hamilton, forcing in a run and making it 5-3. Pinch-hitter Mitchell Sancier grounded to the pitching to force Schatz out at home, then Blake Ogburn flied out to right to end the threat.

The Vaqueros continue their three-game series at Saddleback on Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at noon.