College Roundup : Sisco’s Streak Reaches 20 in Moorpark Win

Steve Sisco was known as a power hitter at Thousand Oaks High, for which he hit nine home runs last season.

Now a freshman second baseman at Moorpark College, Sisco’s consistency has gained attention. He has a 20-game hitting streak and is batting .444 in Western State Conference play.

Sisco kept his streak alive with a first-inning triple Wednesday and later singled in Moorpark’s 5-1 victory over San Diego Mesa College in the first round of the Channel Coast baseball tournament at Moorpark.

The Raiders (16-7) will play host to Rancho Santiago, a 9-8 winner over Consumnes River, at 2 this afternoon in a second-round game in the double-elimination tournament.

Despite two hits, Sisco was less than satisfied with his performance. He struck out twice--once with the bases loaded--to kill Moorpark rallies.

“Their pitchers were mixing me up good and they suckered me into swinging at balls,” Sisco said. “Every time you go up there you want to get the ball into play at any cost.”

Kris Kaelin, another former Thousand Oaks player, had two triples and knocked in a run to pace Moorpark’s 15-hit attack.

Moorpark got all the runs it needed in the second inning on Dan Smith’s bases-loaded single to center.

Mesa (9-8) loaded the bases in the second and third innings but failed to score. Freshman left-hander Willie Leighton escaped in the second by getting Mike Giordano to ground into a double play.

In the third, Mesa loaded the bases on three consecutive singles with none out. But Leighton struck out the next two hitters, then got out of the inning on a pop fly.

Leighton pitched out of trouble again in the sixth when he got Essex Burton, Mesa’s leadoff batter, to pop out with runners on second and third.

Leighton (6-0) gave up 13 hits in going the distance.