Marins Deliver a Needed Lift for Valley

Valley College’s Marin connection is paying dividends.

Cousins Ismael and Oscar Marin, right-handed pitchers from Chatsworth High, have figured prominently in Valley’s resurgence after a disastrous start.

The Monarchs have played well recently and won two of three games last week, including a 6-5 victory over Cuesta in a Western State Conference interdivisional game on Saturday.

Oscar, a freshman with a submarine delivery, earned his first conference victory in relief. Cuesta leads the WSC Northern Division. Valley is 4-22-1, 3-11 in the Southern Division.

“Oscar is the guy we trust at the end of a game,” Coach Chris Johnson said.

At the beginning of a game, Johnson looks to Ismael, who is 2-2 with a 2.90 earned-run average in WSC play.

Ismael, a sophomore, has allowed one run in his last 22 innings and pitched three consecutive complete games. He struck out six without a walk in a 3-0 victory at Bakersfield on March 20 and struck out 15 in a 6-1 victory over Ventura last Tuesday.

“We played an all-freshman lineup [against Cuesta], so that was encouraging,” Johnson said. “Despite the travails of the season, the kids have hung in there. The way we are battling right now is impressive, actually.”

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Glendale and Oxnard started last week atop the WSC Southern and Northern divisions, respectively, but only the Vaqueros remain in first place entering games today.

The Vaqueros won their three games, including 6-2 over Oxnard, to keep a two-game lead over second-place Citrus (17-6, 7-4).

Oxnard (15-11, 9-5) lost all three, dropping one game behind first-place Cuesta (18-7, 10-4).