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Dons Sweep Ventura with 18-4 Victory in Game 2
SANTA ANA, CA - The Santa Ana College (SAC) baseball team didn't need any late inning heroics in game two of the Southern California Regional Playoffs as the Dons defeated #16 Ventura College 18-4 to advance to the Super Regionals. SAC will host the Super Regional Playoffs next weekend, May 16-18.
The Dons got on the board with three runs in the second inning with James Davis (Garden Grove HS), Jake Eccles (Temescal Canyon HS) and Matt Allen (Orange HS) each getting an RBI in the inning.
SAC extended its lead to 4-0 in the third when Derek Eligio led the inning off with a double down the right field line. He later scored on a single to center field by Travis Leverson (Chaparral HS).
The fourth inning is when the Dons' bats came alive. Eligio led the inning off with a single but was out in the next at bat on a fielder's choice by Crispin Tarango (Diamond Bar HS). Davis followed with a double that scored Tarango and Leverson reached on a single.
Eccles picked up his second RBI of the game when he scored Davis on a sacrifice fly. Marcus Piazzisi (El Dorado HS) cleared the bases with a two-run home run in the next at bat.
Allen then reached on a single and advanced to second on a throwing error on the same play. Casey Rihn (La Habra HS) walked and Kyle Hardman (Mission Viejo HS) followed with a three-run home run to cap off the scoring of the inning. The home run was his second in as many days and ninth of the season.
The Dons came back in the top of the sixth inning to score another five runs on four hits. Davis led the inning off with a walk and scored in the next at bat when Leverson hit a RBI triple to right-center field. Eccles got his third RBI of the game with a double to right field that scored Davis. He scored in the next at bat when Piazzisi doubled to right field.
Rihn reached base later in the inning when he was hit by a pitch and Eligio reached on a single. Tarango followed with a two-RBI single that scored Rihn and Piazzisi for the final runs of the inning.
Ventura scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Bevan, scoring Zack Anderson who tripled. The Dons answered that run in the top of the seventh when Kyle Ammons (Huntington Beach HS) hit a solo home run to right field for the Dons' 18th run of the game.
Kyle Mertins (El Dorado HS) improved to 8-3 on the season in his first start since being named the Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year. He pitched five shut out innings and allowed only two hits with five strikeouts.
Nick Capito (La Quinta HS), Nick Culver (Esperanza HS), Eric Cendejas (Corona HS) and Henry Buenrostro (Santa Ana HS) each pitched one inning in relief of Mertins.
Eccles led the Dons at the plate with four RBIs while going 3-for-5. Leverson finished the game 4-for-4 with two RBIs. Hardman and Piazzisi each had three RBIs with Ammons and Allen each getting one RBI.
NEXT: The Dons host the Super Regionals next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Teams TBA |
