Box Score
May 13, 2006
Baseball:
Conradi strikes out 11 in LBCC's 5-3 playoff win over Oxnard
Sophomore Steven Conradi (Poway HS) struck out a season-high 11 batters to lead the Long Beach City College baseball team to a 5-3 win over Oxnard College in Game 1 of the 2006 Southern California Regional Playoffs Saturday afternoon at Joe Hicks Memorial Field.
Long Beach leads the best-of-three series 1-0 and needs just one win to advance to the Super Regionals. The Vikings are now 20-1 at home this season.
With the win, Conradi improved to 8-1 on the year after allowing five hits and three runs over eight innings.
LBCC got on the board early, jumping on Oxnard starter Sergio Acuna in the bottom of the first inning.
Freshman left fielder A.J. Bancroft (Lakewood HS) led off with a walk and promptly came in to score on a triple off the right-field fence by freshman right fielder Daniel Prieto (Mayfair HS). Sophomore third baseman Tommy Peale (Millikan HS) followed that with a single up the middle to bring home Prieto and give the Vikings an early 2-0 lead.
But Oxnard came right back in the top of the second to tie it up. With two outs, third baseman Jason Nash kept the inning alive with a single to right field.
One of Conradi’s few mistakes of the game was a two-run homerun he allowed to right fielder Richard Amaro that cleared the left-field fence and evened up the contest.
The game turned into a pitcher’s duel between Conradi and Acuna and remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when the Vikings took advantage of two huge Oxnard errors.
LBCC sophomore second baseman Ryan Averkieff (Rancho Alamitos HS) drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Freshman center fielder Chris Cordova (Lakewood HS) followed that with a single to left, as Averkieff was held at third.
But left fielder Cody Nash’s throw towards home got away from the cutoff man, which allowed Averkieff to score and Cordova to move to second. Acuna got Bancroft to fly out to left for the second out but walked Prieto before he was lifted from the game for reliever Freddie Alcala.
Alcala came in to face Peale and appeared to get out of the inning without further damage. Peale hit a soft come-backer to Alcala, but his throw to first sailed into right field which allowed Cordova and Prieto to score and give the Vikings a commanding 5-2 lead.
Oxnard rallied for a run in the top of the eighth off Conradi but would get no closer. Sophomore Shane Minor (Millikan HS) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 15th save of the season and give Long Beach the 5-3 win.
For Oxnard (30-14, 0-1), Acuna fell to 8-2 on the season, allowing five runs (two earned) and eight hits over six and two-third innings. Second baseman Michael Minjares was the lone Condor to get two hits (2 for 4) and had a RBI single in the eighth.
Prieto went 2 for 3 with two runs and a RBI, while Cordova was also 2 for 3 with a run to lead the Vikings at the plate.
Game 2 is set for Sunday at LBCC at 11 a.m., with Game 3 to follow shortly after if necessary. Peale will get start for the Vikings and brings a state-best 13-0 record to the mound as the Vikings look for a win to advance in the playoffs. |
