Hancock Drops 5-3 Decision to Santa Barbara

A three-run eighth inning was too much to overcome for the Allan Hancock College baseball team as the Bulldogs dropped a 5-3 decision at Santa Barbara City College on Tuesday afternoon.

The loss dropped Hancock, the ninth ranked team in the Southern California Regional Coaches Poll, to 6-7 in Western State Conference play and 16-10-1 for the season. The sixth ranked Vaqueros improved to 8-5 in conference and 19-8 overall.

The Vaqueros outhit the Bulldogs 7 to 4. Hancock committed four errors in the loss. 

The Bulldogs fell behind 2-0 as Santa Barbara scored once in both the first and second innings against Hancock starter Nathan Thompson. The left-hander allowed four hits and one earned run in 6 1/3 innings. The Santa Ynez High School graduate scattered four hits, five walks and struck out five.

Hancock tied it in the fourth with a two-run single to left center field from Cameron Ketchen that scored Ryan Welker and Felipe Gonzalez. The game stayed tied 2-2 until the top of the eighth.Angel Guillen reached on an error by the SBCC third baseman and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Evan Aguilar. He advanced to third when Jacob Witkowski reached on an error by the shortstop. Welker laid down a suicide squeeze bunt that scored Guillen to give Hancock its first lead of the game 3-2.

Bulldog closer John Drury faced a jam in the bottom half. With runners at first and second and two outs, Brett Sesma singled to center to score the tying run. The go-ahead run scored on the play as Aguilar misplayed the ball in center field. Santa Barbara extended its lead to 5-3 when Matt Gimenez singled up the middle. 

Hancock put runners at second and third with one out in the top of the ninth, but pinch hitter Ron Regalado struck out and Guillen popped out to the third baseman in foul territory to end the game.

Ketchen, Witkowski, Gonzalez and Aguilar had one hit apiece for Hancock. Patrick O'Brien and Noeh Martinez had two hits each for the Vaqueros.

Drury was tagged with the loss to fall to 1-2. He was charged with three runs, all earned, in 1 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits and one walk. Troy Prober recorded the final out in the eighth inning.

The Bulldogs are tied with L.A. Pierce for third place in the conference standings. Santa Barbara is in second at 8-5 and Oxnard, the top-ranked team in the region, is 11-2 in WSC play.

The Bulldogs return home to host Santa Barbara on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. before hosting Oxnard on Saturday at 1p.m. Saturday is Youth Baseball Day at John Osborne Field where children wearing their youth baseball jerseys get into the game for free. Adults accompanying the youth will get half-off admission.