Vikings move into first-place tie thanks to 5-4 walkoff win over El Camino

Sophomore Stefan Miladinovich (Wilson HS) lined a two-out, walkoff single to score freshman Michael Thomas (St. John Bosco HS) as Long Beach City College came from behind to defeat visiting El Camino College 5-4 in the second game of a crucial South Coast Conference series at LBCC's Joe Hicks Memorial Field on Thursday.

Combined with a 7-5 loss by SCC leading Cerritos College to Compton Center on Thursday, the Vikings now sit in a first-place tie with Cerritos at 14-6 with just the series and regular-season finale on Friday back at El Camino at 2:30 pm. Cerritos will host Compton also at 2:30 on Friday to close out its season.

Long Beach has won five straight including 10 of its last 12 games.

On Thursday, Long Beach trailed 4-0 before scoring all of its runs over the final three innings.

LBCC starting pitcher Tanner Levine (Millikan HS) and El Camino starter Ulices Moreno were dueling over the first five innings. Moreno didn't allow a base runner until the fourth and didn't give us a hit until the fifth while Levine allowed just two hits over his first five innings.

But El Camino took advantage of a LBCC throwing error in the sixth to score three runs. With runners on first and second, the Warriors' Fred Smith beat out a bunt for a single but the throw to first sailed wide which allowed both runs to score and Smith to move all the way to third base. Two batters later, Jack Canady lofted a sacrifice fly to right that allowed Smith to score and give El Camino a 3-0 lead.

El Camino added another unearned run in the seventh thanks to another LBCC throwing error. After Joseph Cortez struck out on a pitch in the dirt the throw to first to retire him sailed all the way to the right-field corner allowing him to advance to third. With one out, Keyon Allen brought him in on a suicide squeeze bunt to put ECC ahead 4-0.

 Long Beach finally got to a tiring Moreno in the seventh. Sophomore Ryan Dickison (Pacifica HS) led off with a triple to the left-center gap and promptly came in to score in a double by sophomore Nolan Flashman (University HS) to right. Sophomore Daniel Pitts Quartz Hill HS) followed with the Vikings' third straight hit, a single to left, to drive in Flashman to cut the El Camino lead in half.

In the eighth, the Vikings put together the first of a pair of two-out rallies that would decide the game.

Flashman smacked a two-out single before Pitts walked. A wild pitch by Moreno moved to duo to second and third before freshman Jordan Ybarra (Downey HS) laced a two-run single down the right-field line to score the pair to tie up the game at 4-4 and put momentum on the Vikings' side.

In the ninth, LBCC sophomore reliever Michael Ostrea (Kennedy HS) set the Warriors down in order before the Vikings' game-winning rally.

Moreno, still pitching the ninth, got two quick outs to open the frame before Thomas kept the Vikings' hopes alive with a double to the left-center gap. Miladinovich then smacked the first pitch he saw to centerfield and Thomas beat the throw from Allen to set off the LBCC celebration.  

Ybarra went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI to lead Long Beach at the plate while Flashman was 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Levine went 7 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (one earned) and five hits with eight strikeouts in the no-decision for LBCC. Ostrea picked up the win, allowing just one hit over the final 1 1/3 innings to improve to 2-1.

Moreno (8-3) suffered just his third loss of the season for El Camino (22-13, 12-8 SCC) and went the distance allowing five runs and nine hits. Joey Notch went 2 for 3 to pace the Warriors' offense.

Thursday was the second straight come-from-behind victory for Long Beach against the Warriors. On Tuesday, the Vikings rallied to tie El Camino in the ninth inning before winning 9-7 in 12 innings in Torrance.