Vikings Rally Late but Fall to Santa Ana, 9-6

March 18, 2026

The Long Beach City College baseball team mounted a late comeback bid but fell to Santa Ana College 9-6 on Wednesday afternoon at the LBCC Baseball Complex.

The Vikings and Dons battled through a scoreless first three innings before Santa Ana broke through with a run in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. Long Beach was kept off the board through the first seven innings as Santa Ana starter AJ Frausto and the Dons' staff kept the Vikings in check early.

Santa Ana created separation in the sixth, erupting for six runs to push its lead to 7-0. The Dons added two more in the eighth and carried a 9-0 advantage into the bottom of the inning.

Long Beach finally got on the board in the eighth, scoring once to make it 9-1. The Vikings then made things interesting in the ninth with a five-run rally. Long Beach finished with 11 hits, with Garret Rodriguez leading the way with four hits and two RBIs. Erick Espinoza added a two-run double, while Enrique Lopez collected two hits and Justin Holt doubled and scored.

Despite the late push, the Vikings could not fully erase the deficit as Santa Ana held on for the 9-6 win.

The Vikings will return to the field on Tuesday, March 24, when they travel to Pasadena City College for a 2 p.m. first pitch.