Baseball: Vikings can’t capitalize on chances, fall to Antelope Valley 6-2

A tough start of the 2011 season continues for the Long Beach City College baseball team, as the Vikings suffered a 6-2 non-conference loss to visiting Antelope Valley College on Monday at Joe Hicks Memorial Field.

Long Beach matched Antelope Valley with 12 hits in the game, but stranded a season-high 14 runners on base and committed three costly errors.

LBCC trailed 2-1 before Antelope Valley (3-11) put the game out of reach with three runs in the top of the fifth thanks to a pair of errors that prolonged the inning. Justin Hodges hit a RBI double, Steven Tremlin drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Brian Ebert platted another with a ground out.

The Vikings answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore center fielder Joe Lent (Los Alamitos HS) smoked a triple to the left-field gap and promptly came in to score on a RBI single from freshman catcher Robert Ponce (Banning HS).

But that would be all for Long Beach. LBCC left the bases loaded in the second and stranded a pair of runners in the fourth, fifth, and eighth innings.

Sophomore Kenny Uyetake (Los Alamitos HS) picked up the loss to fall to 0-2. He allowed five runs (three earned) and seven hits over five innings. Sophomore Kyle Kay (Beverly Hills HS) was effective in relief, giving up just one run and five hits over the final four innings.  

Lent, Ponce, sophomore third baseman Andy Hernandez (Paramount HS), and freshman first baseman Cory Noss (Garden Grove HS) all had two hits for Long Beach (3-7).

Hodges earned the win for Antelope Valley to improve to 1-0. He allowed five hits over 10 innings but gave up just two runs. Brett Jones picked up a save with four innings of scoreless relief.

Hodges went 3 for 5 to lead AVC at the plate while Tremlin collected three RBI with a pair of sacrifice flies and a ground out.

Long Beach returns to action on Tuesday (Mar. 1) when it travels to Glendale College for a 2 p.m. non-conference game.