Moorpark Squanders a Rally : Raiders Sputter, Then Fall in an 11-6 Conference Loss to Ventura

The task at hand seemed elementary enough.

Moorpark College, with runners on first and third base and none out in the bottom of the 12th inning, needed no more than a sacrifice fly to complete a come-from-behind victory over Ventura.

But both the finishing touch and a Western State Conference baseball victory eluded the Raiders on Tuesday at home.

Ventura reliever David Eggert pitched out of a jam in the 12th inning and Ventura rallied for five runs in the 13th to post an 11-6 victory.

Eggert (1-0) defused the Moorpark rally in the 12th by inducing Craig Pearson, who previously had collected a home run and a double among four hits, to pop up to shallow right-center.

Kris Kaelin then struck out on an attempted squeeze bunt and Darin Furlong was caught off third base to complete a double play that denied the Raiders.

The impact of the failed bunt was not lost on Moorpark Coach Ron Stillwell. “You see so many bunts misplayed and that usually is a bigger play than most people think,” he said.

Moorpark, trailing, 5-2, rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to take a 6-5 lead. Pinch-hitter Darren Romano stroked a triple and scored on Dan Smith’s ground out. Furlong then tripled to right field with the bases empty and scored on Steve Sisco’s double. Sisco came home on Pearson’s home run to left field.

Ventura (13-4 overall, 4-2 in WSC play) tied the score with a run in the eighth. Darren Lloyd walked, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and scored the tying run on Lupe Carrillo’s single to right.

Furlong opened the Moorpark half of the 12th with a double and advanced to third on Sisco’s bunt single. But the Raiders (13-7, 3-3) wasted the opportunity and dropped their second game in a row.

Moorpark starter John Chiaramonte pitched 10 innings before Jeff Berman came on in relief in the 11th. Berman (2-1), a freshman right-hander from Newbury Park, was tagged for six hits and five runs in the 13th.