Waiting Game Under Way After Bulldogs Fall 5-2 to Ventura in Final Conference Game

The waiting game officially has officially begun for the Allan Hancock College baseball team. The fifth-ranked team in the Southern California Regional dropped a 5-2 decision at home to Ventura to close the regular season on Thursday afternoon. 

The Bulldogs finished 10-10 in Western State Conference play and 22-14-1 overall. Ventura completed its season 15-20 overall and 9-11 in conference.

Hancock was out-hit 10 to five with three of the Bulldogs' hits coming in the ninth inning.

Ryan Bendele slugged a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth. The Righetti High School graduate and sophomore third baseman scored on a basehit through the rightside off the bat of Cameron Ketchen. After Angel Guillen grounded out to the pitcher for the second out, pinch hitter Ron Regalado delivered a line drive basehit to center to score Ketchen and cut the deficit to 5-2. However, the rally ended when Roger Guillen grounded out to end the game. 

Hancock sophomore right-hander Ryan Bower took the loss to fall to 7-4. The Lompoc High School graduate allowed an unearned run in the second and two runs in the eighth inning. Bower scattered seven hits over 7 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. Zack Skipper allowed one run and two hits in one inning of relief with two strikeouts. Henry Fienga, a Cab.rillo High School graduate, allowed one run, one hit and one walk.

Ventura starter Tyler Watson threw his fourth complete game of the season to improve to 7-3 for the Pirates. The left-hander struck out eight and allowed just five hits.

The Pirates scored the first run of the game in the second when a throwing error from Bendele allowed Brian Magana to score from third base. Bower and Watson matched zeroes until the eighth when Watson clubbed a two-run home run to give Ventura a 3-2 lead. It marked Watson's first long ball of the season. The Pirates added two more in the ninth on a two-run triple to left-center field from Bradley Fullerton. 

The Bulldogs will hope to receive an at-large berth into the State Regional Playoffs. 18 teams from the Northern California Regional, and 18 squads from the Southern California Regional will compete in the postseason. Brackets will be released on Sunday. Hancock last played in the playoffs in 2011

The postseason starts with a handful of single elimination play-in games for on Tuesday, April 29. The Regionals, which are best two out of three game series, start on Friday, May 2, with the second and third games set for Saturday, May 3.