Baseball: Vikings can't hold fifth-inning lead, drop 8-4 non-conference game to Santa Ana

Long Beach City College totaled a season-high 11 hits but also left 11 runners on base in an 8-4 non-conference loss to visiting Santa Ana College on Thursday at LBCC's Joe Hicks Memorial Field. Long Beach led 4-2 after five innings but couldn't hold on for the win.

The loss was the Vikings' second straight and dropped their overall record to 1-2 to start the season.

Santa Ana (3-0) scored a pair of runs off LBCC starter Daniel Rocha (Narbonne HS) in the second inning to go up 2-0 before the Vikings' bats finally came alive in the fourth. Sophomores Tai Tiedemann (Poly HS) and Jackson Foss (Wilson HS) both singled to start the rally. Then with one out, freshman Gavin Windes (St. John Bosco HS) singled down the left-field line to score Tiedemann. Foss came in to score on a wild pitch and freshman Andrew Jaekul (St. John Bosco HS) brought home Windes with a two-out single to left.

Leading 3-2, LBCC added their final run in the fifth. Freshman Tristin Chamberlain (Millikan HS) singled to lead off the frame before he was forced out on a fielder's choice by sophomore Sean Williams (Wilson HS). Two batters later, freshman Vincent Byrd II (Sacramento, CA/El Camino HS) smashed a RBI double off the fence in left-center to drive in Williams.

Santa Ana went back out in front for good in the sixth. A leadoff error at shortstop hurt the Vikings as the Dons rallied for three runs. The big blow was a two-out, two-run homerun over the right field fence by Austin Pritchard off Rocha. Sophomore reliever Evan May (Oxford Academy) was able to extinguish the rally, but the damage had already been done.

Santa Ana added to the lead, scoring three more runs in the eighth thanks to four hits, a passed ball, and an error.

The Vikings had one final chance to get back in the game, as the loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth. But Santa Ana reliever Andrew Hodges got the next three batters to fly out to end the threat.

Windes went 3 for 3 with a run and RBI to lead the Vikings at the plate. Tiedemann, Foss, and Jaekul also had two hits each. Rocha took the loss for Long Beach, allowing five runs (three earned) and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Viking head coach Casey Crook currently sits at 510 career wins. He needs just four more to surpass LBCC all-time leader Joe Hicks with 513. Long Beach is back in action on Saturday (Feb. 6) when the Vikings travel to Oxnard College for a 1 p.m. non-conference game.