Ratliff’s Lapse Gives Valley a Lift : College baseball: Baserunning blunder leads to decisive run as Ventura fails to execute rundown properly in Monarchs’ 3-2 victory.

As bonehead plays go, this one was the stuff of brilliance.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning, Valley College’s Chad Ratliff singled into right field. Kevin Walsh scored from third as Ratliff rounded first, and Ratliff put his head down and dug for second. However, Kevin Claytor and Mike Murray, the runners who had advanced to second and third, respectively, were holding their bases.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Ratliff said. “I’m thinking close play at second, and right when I start to look at (second), Kevin Claytor is just staring at me.”

Ratliff was on a collision course with Claytor, but he collected his wits and engaged the Ventura infield in a rundown. Then, it was Ventura’s turn to err.

Ventura failed to stop Ratliff, and Murray sneaked home from third. Ratliff reached second safely, and Claytor was tagged out on his way to third.

Murray’s run turned out to be the winning run in host Valley’s 3-2 victory Thursday afternoon in a Western State Conference game.

Luck is said to be the residue of design, but Valley Coach Chris Johnson would take no credit for Ratliff’s faux pas on the basepaths.

“Of course that’s a designed play,” Johnson said, tongue implanted in cheek. “No it’s not, it’s the stupidest play ever.”

Stupid or not, it was the decisive play in a well-pitched game in which neither team scored after the fifth inning.

Arnie Aguinaga and Tony Ljubetic combined to limit Ventura (16-5, 3-3 in conference play) to seven hits. Aguinaga (1-1) earned the victory, and Ljubetic pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings to pick up his third save.

“That is a pretty big win for us,” Johnson said, “and Aguinaga and Ljubetic did just great today.”

Freshman right-hander Andy Moffat (2-1) struck out nine in his first complete game of the season but took the loss for Ventura.

Ventura gave Moffat a 2-0 lead after three innings but blew opportunities to give him an even larger cushion in the early going.

Ventura had three doubles in a two-run second but left the bases loaded. Ventura also left the bases loaded in the sixth. By the end of the game, Ventura had stranded 11 men and left the basepaths looking like a holding pattern over LAX.

“Their pitchers did a good job. The other part is just consistency,” Ventura Coach Gary Anglin said. “We didn’t come up with key hits when we needed them.”

Valley (6-13-1, 3-4) closed the gap to 2-1 with a run in the fourth. Rob Kostenbader led off the inning with a single and scored on James Weese’s ground ball.

In the fifth, Walsh led off with a single, Murray reached on an error and Claytor walked to set the stage for Ratliff’s gaffe, er, heroics.

Ventura threatened in the top of the ninth with two one-out walks, but Ljubetic recorded two quick outs to end the game.

Chris Bargsten, with a double and single, was the only Ventura player with more than one hit. Ratliff singled twice for Valley.