Vikings Mount Huge Comeback, Win Season Series Vs. AVC

March 25, 2017

Barstow, Ca- The Barstow Community College Baseball team defeated Antelope Valley 12-11 to win the season series.

The outlook was not looking good for the Vikings early. After 3 complete innings the Vikings trailed AVC 10-0. Some defensive gaffes and a few timely hits gave way to a 8-run second inning for AVC. The Vikings would surrender two more in the third. Vikings Coach Bryan King said, "I called my team up after the top of the 3rd, just told them to move on from our mistakes and grind this thing out, one at-bat at a time. I told them we were going to win the game"

The Vikings responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning, 1 more in the 4th and 3 in the 5th. AVC added a solo run in the top of the fifth. After five innings the Vikings trailed 11-5.

Viking freshman Gabriel Olvera pitched 4 scoreless inning in relief including pitching out of bases loaded jams in two consecutive innings. Freshman Luis Ruiz threw 2.2 innings giving up just the solo run in the 5th. King said, "None of this is possible without our bullpen today, those guys did a phenomenal job of just giving us a chance to make this comeback."

Neither team would score again in the 6th through 8th innings which left a sizeable hill for the Vikings to climb in the 9th. Down 11-6, the bottom of the 9th started the same way as most comebacks.

Sean Kelsen led off with a Base on Balls

Caleb Squire followed with another walk

Vikings leading hitter Dustin McNicholl smacked his fourth hit of the day to load the bases

Jonah Yang drew a walk and earned an RBI

Nathan Cottrell hit a ball sharply down the 3rd base line to drive in 2 more runs

11-9, runners on 1st and 2nd still 0 outs.

Coach King then asked his Freshman Catcher, Adrian Trujillo to advance the runners with a bunt. After failed attempts on the first two strikes Trujillo now had to execute a bunt with two strikes. Trujillo got it done, so perfect of a bunt that he was safe at first and an over throw brought in a run and put runners at 2nd and 3rd

Kalyn Kimmel was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Bases loaded, 0 outs winning run on 2nd.

Jamie Solis hit a ball hard at the AVC SS who threw it home and got the force at first for a double play. Coach King said, "that’s the sort of thing that can kill momentum, he hit it hard but right at someone."

The situation now stood with the tying run on 3rd, winning run on second and 2 outs.

Mitch Hulse drew a 9 pitch walk to load the bases for Sean Kelsen.

It only took one more pitch. Kelsen hit a shot to the Right Field corner that bounced off the bottom of the wall. Vikings scored two and comeback was complete.

Coach King said after the game, "I never doubted it, I had a feeling the whole day that we were going to get it done. I knew if our bullpen could hold em down our offense would kick into gear."

The win clinched the Vikings first ever conference series win in Western States Conference play after moving over from the Foothill conference this season.

http://www.cccbca.com/sports/bsb/2016-17/boxscores/20170325_9v7h.xml?view=plays