The Long Beach City College baseball team played host to the Saddleback College Gauchos on Friday evening in the first round of California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Vikings boasted a solid pitching performance at the hand of freshman right hander Jacob Gregg (Long Beach, CA), but it was squandered as the Vikings stranded seven runners on base en route to a 2-1 defeat.
Greg took the hill for his first-career playoff appearance and excelled by allowing just one earned run in the third frame that turned out to be the difference in the contest. He utilized his defense throughout the entire game by only fanning four batters. Additionally, he tossed his first-career complete game.
However, the Viking defense haunted his outing as an unearned run in the top of the first inning shaped into the difference of the contest.
After the unearned run crossed the plate in the top of the first inning, the Vikings were given a gift by scoring an unearned run for themselves after freshman center fielder Val Stammler (Long Beach, CA) scurried home on an overthrow from the shortstop on an attempted double-play ball.
Unfortunately, that was all the offense LBCC produced. They were held to seven hits with the lone extra base hit coming off the bat of freshman second baseman Tyler Wilber (Los Alamitos, CA). Stammler swung the bat well by going 3-for-3 at the dish as well.
The Vikings will face off against Saddleback for the second game of the three-game series in a win or go home scenario. The game will be played at Joe Hicks Memorial Field with the first pitched scheduled for 11 a.m.