Knights Win 3-Game Series at Santa Barbara

The San Diego City College baseball team traveled to Santa Barbara for a 3-game series over the weekend against the Vaqueros and won the first two games to improve to 5-4 on the young season. 

City's pitching staff, led by Quinn Oliver, shut out Santa Barbara 1-0 on Friday to get the series started. Oliver allowed four hits while striking out five in 5.1 innings as a starter. Connor Guise finished the sixth inning with one strikeout and then Michael Elliot struck out five Vaqueros in 2.1 innings to set up Dylan Vaughn for the final two out as he earned the save. 

Outfielder Chris Barkley went 3-for-4 in that first game and scored the only run off an RBI single from Carlos Oquita in the top of the fourth. 

The Knights' staff was great again in Saturday's 4-1 win. Starting pitcher Antonio Garcia earned the win after allowing one run off five hits with five strikouts in six solid innings. Guise held Santa Barbara scoreless in the seventh inning and Laine allowed only one hit in the final two inning to earn the save. 

With the game tied at 1-1, the Knights scored three runs in the sixth to grab the lead for good. Jorge Lucero and Israel Tafolla hit back-to-back RBI singles and pinch-hitter Nic Ayala later earned an RBI on a ground out.

San Diego City was ahead 5-0 in the third inning of Sunday's game, but could not hold the lead as Santa Barbara scored three runs in the bottom of the third, two in the fourth, and three more in the sixth to take an 8-5 lead. 

Jack Early and Tafolla each had 2 RBI in the final game of the series, but the Knights' bats struggled to get anything going after the third inning as they eventually lost, 9-5. 

City's next game will be at Morley Field on Friday, February 14 against College of the Desert at 2 p.m.