Irvine Valley's baseball team started its 2018 season with a tough 6-1 loss to Long Beach City on Friday afternoon at home.
Irvine Valley turns around and plays at Long Beach City on Saturday in the second game of the three-game set. The Lasers finish the series next Tuesay at home with the Vikings at 2 p.m.
IVC scored the first run of the game on Friday in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore outfielder Wyatt McGinnis had an RBI single to drive in freshman outfielder Ben McConnell, who walked to lead off the game.
But Long Beach City came back with two runs in the top of the second inning to take the lead for good. Raul Gonzalez walked with the bases loaded and then Andrew Schmitt reached on a fielder's choice to bring in another run and make it a 2-1 game for the Vikings.
Long Beach City added a run in the top of the third on a solo home run by Reese Berberet and then got another run in the top of the fourth to make it a 4-1 game.
The Vikings put the game away with two more runs in the top of the ninth inning on a two-run single by David Rivera.
IVC had its chances throughout. The Lasers out-hit Long Beach City, 9-8. LBCC made five errors and IVC had a runner thrown out at home in the contest.
McConnell went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a walk, freshman third baseman Colin Gardener went 2 for 4 and freshman shorstop Dustin Angus went 1 for 4 with a double for the Lasers.
Freshman righthander Jason Ferese took the loss, going four innings and ging up four runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Freshman Keenan Cisneros pitched five solid innings in relief. He gave up two runs on four hits and no walks with five strikeouts.
For Long Beach City, Schmitt was 2 for 4 with two RBI, Berberet went 2 for 5 with the home run and one RBI, and Rivera was 1 for four with two RBI.
Jacob Alcorn earned the win, pitching 5.2 innings. He gave up just one run (unearned) on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Benji Gonzalez pitched 2.1 scoreless inning and Garrett Rennie finished the bottom of the ninth after giving up back-to-back hits to IVC.
