Ventura Falls Behind Before Getting Jump on Agoura, 4-3

Matt Salmons’ run-scoring single in the bottom of the 11th inning gave Ventura a 4-3 victory over Agoura in the first game of a best-of-three series in the District 16 American Legion National League playoffs Thursday at Ventura College.

With one out and the bases loaded, Salmons hit a chopper over short, scoring Bryan Minkel with the decisive run.

“It’s a nice feeling,” said Salmons, who has been a reserve most of the season but earned a start against Agoura with some strong practices recently.

“All I was looking for was to put the ball in play. I didn’t care how.”

Salmons’ hit was his second of the game and the third of the inning off Adam Hersh, Agoura’s fourth pitcher.

Hersh limited Ventura to one hit over the previous five innings. But after striking out Stefan Klock to open the 11th, he gave up a single to right to Minkel, an infield single to Chris Moore and a walk to Matt Frick.

Jon Bierly pitched nine innings for Ventura, allowing three earned runs and eight hits while striking out eight and walking one. Michael Smith relieved him in the 10th. Smith (3-1) allowed two hits and two walks.

“We needed to get the first one of the series, that was the most important,” said Bierly, a Ventura High graduate who will attend UC Riverside in the fall.

“It was a team effort all the way. It took me a while to get going.”

Agoura (13-15) scored two runs on three hits in the first inning and added another run on two hits for a 3-0 lead in the third.

But Ventura (18-7) took advantage of two hits and two errors to score three unearned runs and tie the score in the fifth.

“They capitalized on mistakes, fair and square,” said Coach Zach Miller of Agoura, who was working his first legion game of the season after been named Agoura High coach last week. “That’s all there was to it.”

The teams will play the second game of the series at 4:30 p.m. today at St. Bonaventure High. The third game, if necessary is scheduled for 11 a.m Saturday at St. Bonaventure.

The winner of the series advances to play National League champion Ojai-Santa Paula for the district title on Sunday.

“We just have to come out and play,” Miller said.