COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Merchan Ignites Pierce Offense With 4 Hits in One-Sided Win

Herman Merchan had four hits, scored three times and drove in a fourth run to spark Pierce to a 16-1 Western State Conference baseball victory at Santa Barbara on Saturday.

Pierce (10-8, 8-6 in WSC play) had 23 hits. Eight players contributed at least two hits.

Adam West benefited from the offensive support to improve his record to 2-1.

In other baseball games:

Valley 11, Moorpark 0--Vic Seper’s two-run single triggered a seven-run fourth inning for visiting Valley (10-10, 9-5) in a WSC game. The inning began with four consecutive bunt singles, and Anthony Paschia added a run-scoring single.

David Stevenson hit a solo home run in the seventh, and Ozzie Areu had a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Earlier in the day, Valley recorded a 12-11 victory in 13 innings over Moorpark (5-9 in conference play) in the completion of a game suspended because of darkness after 8 1/2 innings on March 1.

Moorpark pitcher Danny Haas walked Areu with the bases loaded to force in the winning run.

Mission 8, East L.A. 7--Robert Garcia and Richard Avalos had run-scoring doubles to highlight a four-run sixth inning for host Mission (16-6, 7-2) in a Southern California Collegiate Athletic Conference game.

Garcia was three for four with three RBIs.

Bakersfield 4, Ventura 3--John Valenti and Gerardo Gonzalez hit back-to-back doubles to drive in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning of a WSC game.

The Pirates (7-11, 5-9) had tied the game in the top of the inning on singles by Ryan Denger and John Guillen.

Denger, who scored twice, was thrown out at the plate on by center fielder Bill Rutherford after Guillen’s hit to end the threat. Ventura has lost seven of its last nine games.

Canyons 8, Glendale 7--John Aguilar’s two-run homer sparked the Cougars’ four-run first inning and Keith Halcovich did the rest for Canyons (15-3, 12-1), which has won 14 of its last 15 games.

Halcovich was three for four with a home run and two RBIs and picked up his fifth save with 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief in the WSC game.

Cuesta 10, Oxnard 8--The Condors had 15 hits, but left 10 runners on base--six in scoring position--in a WSC loss at home.

Oxnard’s Nick Frank went three for three, and has reached base in his last 10 plate appearances.

The Cougars (2-12, 4-16) have lost four in a row.

Linfield (Ore.) 7-8, The Master’s 3-7--Dan O’Sullivan had three hits in the opener and his seventh homer of the week in the second game, but the host Mustangs were swept in a nonconference doubleheader.

Linfield (2-6) held an 8-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings of the opener before The Master’s rallied with two runs in the fifth and three in the seventh.

The Mustangs (16-9) had runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the ninth but Allan Taylor struck out Kenya Hunt and walked Matt Henzie intentionally before striking out Tony MacCaughtry to end the game.

In the second game, O’Sullivan’s eighth home run of the season gave The Master’s a 3-2 lead in the third inning, but the Wildcats scored three times in the fifth and one each in the sixth and seventh.

SOFTBALL

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 7-9, Cal Lutheran 0-1--Visiting Cal Lutheran (8-5) was held to one run and eight hits in a nonconference doubleheader. Xochitl Castillo tossed a six-hitter in the opener but absorbed her second loss in six decisions.

Lisa Mathews had two of Cal Lutheran’s hits in the second game.