Baseball: Vikings open final series with 5-2 SCC win over L.A. Harbor

Freshman Steven Gallardo (Hamilton HS) scattered five hits over seven scoreless innings to help lead the Long Beach City College baseball team to a 5-2 South Coast Conference win in the opening game of a three-game series against Los Angeles Harbor College on Tuesday at Joe Hicks Memorial Field.

The conference series continues on Thursday (Apr 28) at Harbor and returns to Long Beach on Friday (Apr 29) for the series and season finale for both teams. Both games are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

In today's win, Gallardo struck out six and walked three to earn the victory and improve to 5-1 this season for the Vikings.

Long Beach (16-18, 10-9 SCC) scored all the runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning off Harbor starting pitcher Brent Weber. Sophomore first baseman Kenny Uyetake (Los Alamitos HS), and freshman left fielder Daniel Ornelas (South East HS) had RBI singles and sophomore second baseman Andy Hernandez drove in another run with a fielder choice grounder to put the Vikings up 3-0.

LBCC added two more runs in the bottom of the third after Hernandez' two-out fly ball to left was dropped by Harbor's Kyle Demarco, which allowed freshman right fielder Phil Visico (Wilson HS), who tripled earlier in the frame, and Uyetake to come in to score.

Visico went 3 for 4 and scored a pair of runs to lead the Vikings' offense. Freshman shortstop Derek Garcia (Mayfair HS) also added two hits and was 2 for 4.

Weber (3-4) allowed two earned runs and eight hits for Harbor (12-21, 8-11 SCC) in the complete-game effort. He struck out six and walked one over eight innings. Demarco went 2 for 4 to lead the Seahawks at the plate.