Hancock Softball Falls 8-2 to Ventura

Sabrina Ornelas and Shaylyn Coy had two hits apiece, but the Allan Hancock College softball team dropped an 8-2 decision in a Western State Conference battle with Ventura on Thursday afternoon in Santa Maria. The Bulldogs fell to 4-7 in league and 8-14 overall after dropping their fourth straight decision. The Pirates moved to 8-3 in league and 16-14 on the year.

The Pirates tacked on single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings against Coy to build a 3-0 lead. Hancock got a run back as shortstop Adiana Pacheco clubbed a two-out double to drive in Mackenzie Caspian to make it a 3-1 game.

Ventura regained a three-run lead with a run in the sixth and sealed the win with four more in the seventh, assisted by two Hancock errors in the seventh. The Bulldogs rallied in the final frame and pushed a run across when Crystal Gonzales reached on a Ventura error and drove in Jayden Andrade, who led off the frame with a double. Hancock threatened to inch closer as Ornelas and Zaiden Bakke followed with singles. However, Gonzalez was tagged out at the plate on Bakke's hit for the second out of the game. Caspian grounded out to end the game.

Ventura's Marisa Felix went 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Serrina Cabral added two hits and drove in a pair of runs.

Hancock finished with nine hits, while Ventura managed 10 hits against Coy. The freshman took the loss after allowing eight runs, six of them earned, over seven innings. Coy walked three and struck out seven Pirates.

The Bulldogs hit the road for three games in two days, starting with a game at Riverside (19-11), at 4:30 PM on Friday. Hancock will play two at Southwestern on Saturday, battling Pacific Coast Conference-leading Southwestern (18-9) at 11 AM, followed by a 1 PM battle with South Coast Conference-leading Mt. San Antonio College (24-4), the No. 2 in the latest state poll.