COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : No. 2 Rancho Santiago Holds Off Ventura

Rancho Santiago, ranked No. 2 in the state behind Sacramento City College, jumped to an eight-run lead after three innings Friday, then held on for a 10-6 victory over Ventura in the championship game of the Channel Coast baseball tournament in Ventura.

The Dons (23-5) got a solid performance from one of their starters for the second consecutive game and collected 14 hits against six Ventura pitchers.

Right-hander Ethan Wychoff (1-0) worked four innings, limiting Ventura (13-14) to three hits and two runs. Teammate Jason Dietrich had a no-hitter for 8 2/3 innings Thursday in a 3-1 semifinal victory over Oxnard.

“They got big, strong kids. They take powerful swings,” Ventura Coach Gary Anglin said. “They also have good pitching.”

Reliever Jason Hanmer got his second save of the season with two scoreless innings.

After Ventura pushed across three runs in the top of the eighth on a two-run single by catcher Ryan Denger and a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Jason Isaacs to cut the Rancho Santiago lead to 10-6, Hanmer faced power-hitting third baseman Ron Tegland with the bases loaded and two out.

But the right-hander quickly squelched the threat by retiring Tegland on a fly to right.

“I thought their pitching did a good job of handling us early, and I thought our kids did a good job of battling back and got within one blow of tying it,” Anglin said.

The Dons scored one in the first and three in the second off of left-hander Bryant Fick (0-1) and collected five runs in the third inning to lead, 9-1.

Third baseman Derek Brown, who was two for three, and designated-hitter Aaron Butler smacked back-to-back RBI doubles and second baseman Jason Wakefield lined a two-run triple to the fence in right-center field. He later scored on a passed ball.

“We are excited about getting 10 runs,” Dons’ Coach Don Sneddon said. “We’ve been averaging about two or three runs per game and about five hits the last seven games.”

Ventura second baseman Mike Muncy went three for four with a home run and extended his hitting streak to 21 games. He also recorded his 24th stolen base, a single-season school record.

In the College of the Sequoias double-elimination tournament:

Saddleback wins--Saddleback defeated Fullerton, 7-3, in a seven-inning double-final to win its third tournament championship this season.

In its first game Friday, Saddleback beat Orange Coast, 9-3, in the losers’ bracket final. In their second game, the Gauchos (22-9), behind a four-hitter from Craig Ainsworth, defeated Fullerton, 7-1, to force the double final.

Saddleback’s Justin Drizos had five hits and five RBIs in the two victories over Fullerton and Cade Gaspar finished the tournament 11 for 22 with two home runs in six tournament games.