NVC baseball ends five-game losing streak, beats Mendocino College, 6-3
By MARTY JAMES
Napa Valley College's baseball team ended a five-game losing streak on Thursday, beating Mendocino College-Ukiah, 6-3, in a Bay Valley Conference game at Storm Field.
Napa Valley (8-22 overall, 7-7 Bay Valley) won on the strength of starting pitcher Seth Vazquez's seven-inning outing, the relief pitching of Samuel Anderson and Jameson Hogarth, and Owen Nelson's 3-for-5, four-RBI day at the plate.
The Storm, which is in fourth place in the conference standings, scored three runs in the fifth inning, one run in the sixth inning, and two runs in the seventh inning.
The Storm's 10-hit attack also featured a 2-for-3 day from Forrest Kistner.
Napa Valley left nine runners on base, struck out six times, walked four times, and was charged with two errors.
It was the second game of a three-game Bay Valley Conference series between the two teams.
Vazquez was solid in earning the win, as he allowed three runs (one earned) and eight hits, struck out three and did not walk anyone. He faced 30 batters.
Anderson threw one shutout inning and struck out one while facing three batters.
Hogarth earned the save after throwing one shutout inning and striking out one while facing four batters.
NVC scored its first run of the game when Vincent Lencioni was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.
Nelson drove in two runs on a single.
Cole Van Stone plated a run on an RBI sacrifice fly-out to center field in the sixth inning.
Nelson had a two-run double in the seventh inning.
Napa Valley had four extra-base hits, including doubles from Bode Joyner, Van Stone and Kistner.
Kistner also scored a run.
Also contributing were Peyton McGowen (two runs scored), Lencioni (1-for-3, RBI, run scored), Joyner (1-for-3, run scored), Jorge Lopez-Rios (1-for-4), Van Stone (1-for-2, RBI), and Christian Hernandez (1-for-3, run scored).
Game 3 of the series is on Friday, April 12, at 1 p.m., at Mendocino College at 1 p.m.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.