No. 20 Hancock Baseball Looks to Stay Hot, Plays Three WSC Games This Week

The Allan Hancock College baseball team resumes its run through Western State Conference play with three games this week. The Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 20 in Southern California, enters the week 5-6 in conference and 13-10 overall. They will play Tuesday, March 29 at Santa Barbara City College before traveling to Ventura on Thursday, March 31. Both conference games will start at 2:30 p.m. Hancock will return home to host the Pirates on Saturday, April 2, at 1 p.m.

Hancock is coming off a 2-0 week during its annual Spring Baseball Classic. The Bulldogs erased a 9-6 eight-inning deficit to stun East Los Angeles 10-9 in 10 innings to start last week. Sophomore right fielder Colby Barrick (Santa Ynez HS) slugged a game-tying, three-run home run in the eighth inning. The sophomore set career highs with four runs, four hits, four RBI and two home runs. Colton Studebaker went four for five to set a career high. Jacob Tonascia, Tim Mahoney (St. Joseph HS) and shortstop Zach Lampreia had two hits apiece. Tonascia had 3 RBI, including the game-winning, walk-off single in the tenth to drive in Studebaker, who tripled to lead off the inning. Jason Terrones (Lompoc HS) earned the win to improve to 3-0 with two shutout innings. 

The Bulldogs erased a 6-3 deficit to upset No. 2 Cypress 8-6 last Thursday. Isaiah Ramos (Righetti HS) improved to 4-0 with two shutout innings of relief. Studebaker delivered a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 6-6 tie. James Fitzmaurice (St .Joseph HS) and Mahoney helped erase a 6-3 deficit in the seventh with a RBI-single and two-run single, respectively. Barrick, Studebaker and second baseman Justin Daraban had two hits each. Studebaker finished with 3 RBI.

Over the last five games, Barrick has 12 hits in 22 at-bats (.545), six extra base hits and 8 RBI, while Studebaker is 10 for 19 (.526) with 9 RBI. Barrick raised his season average to .385 with 23 runs, three home runs and 17 RBI. Studebaker is hitting .351 with 21 RBI, and Tonascia is at a .341 clip with 15 RBI and 12 doubles.

With one game left in the first half of conference play, Hancock is tied with Oxnard (10-13) for fifth place.  Cuesta (14-9) and Santa Barbara (10-13) are tied for first at 7-4 in league, while Ventura (13-10) is 6-5 in WSC action and Moorpark (10-14) is 6-6.

The Bulldogs fell 7-2 to the Vaqueros on March 18. Hancock split its two-game series with the Pirates to open conference. The Bulldogs lost the opener 2-1 before winning 1-0 behind 6 1/3 shutout innings from Ramos and 2 1/3 shutout innings from sophomore Chance Miranda (Righetti HS).  Santa Barbara's Nicolas Bereaud ranks fifth in the state with five home runs and tenth with 26 RBI.