Ventura Wins WSC Playoff Championship

Gary Anglin did a double take when left-hander Dean Money took the mound for Valley College on Saturday.

“We practiced three days for (Tim) DeGrasse, so when they threw Money we did not know what to expect,” the Ventura College baseball coach said.

After their initial surprise, the Pirates adjusted quickly, collecting 11 hits off Money and a reliever en route to a 5-1 victory in the championship game of the Western State Conference baseball playoffs at Ventura.

Despite the loss, Valley (29-11-1) advances to Thursday’s first round of the state junior college playoffs as the conference’s second-seeded team. The format for the first two rounds is single elimination. Ventura, which shared the WSC’s regular-season title with College of the Canyons, is the conference’s top-seeded team and receives a bye to the third round of the state playoffs May 19-21. After the second round, the format becomes double elimination.

For Valley Coach Chris Johnson, the decision to start Money over DeGrasse (9-1), the Monarchs’ ace right-hander, was a strategic move that backfired. Had Valley defeated Ventura in the first game, Johnson would have started DeGrasse in the second and deciding game.

“I really wanted to play two games, and that’s why I was saving DeGrasse,” Johnson said. “The kids who pitched did a good job for us. They got three of their runs off a ball that was hit off the end of the bat.”

Brent Cookson dealt the decisive blow against Money (2-1), who was making his first start. Cookson lofted a bloop fly over first base that dropped in for a bases-loaded triple in the third inning. He then scored on Joel Gaxiola’s fly to left field to complete Ventura’s four-run outburst.

Right-hander Mike Roberts relieved Money after Cookson’s triple, but the damage had been done. Money gave up five hits and four runs in 2 2/3 innings and took the loss.

The Monarchs were ineffective at the plate as sophomore right-hander Shane Espitia (8-2), who has beaten Valley three times this season, threw a complete-game five-hitter.

“Shane Espitia has owned us all year,” Johnson said. “But we only scored one run and that’s not enough to win against them, even if we had DeGrasse pitching.”

The Monarchs had runners in scoring position several times against Espitia, who struck out four, but Ventura thwarted the rallies with fine defensive plays. Ray Sabado and Greg Struhl both had infield singles in the first, but first baseman Darren Lloyd made a diving stop on Mark Cavarretta’s hard-hit grounder for the third out.

Valley picked up its run in the fifth. Steve Ross singled to center to drive in Gene Demyon, who had singled to left with one out and then stolen second.

Ventura (29-9) threatened to break the game open in the seventh, but Demyon thwarted the Pirates with a running catch in right. Ventura had loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before pinch-hitter John Sunia hit a fly to Demyon deep in right.

The Pirates added a run in the eighth on Mike Teron’s run-scoring double. Chris Ames, who had three hits, had singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on Teron’s drive to left.