Daniel Ghiorso belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the SBCC baseball team to a 4-3 victory over Chaffey, extending the Vaqueros’ season-opening win streak to nine games.
It was the team-leading third home run of the season for Ghiorso, who also leads in RBI with 14.
A steal of home by pinch-runner Christian Mosqueda gave Chaffey a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning. He was running for Daniel Hernandez, who led off the inning with a single to right. With one out, Mosqueda stole second and went to third on a single to center by Zach Kim. He then stole home on pitcher Seth White.
Michael Woodward followed with a single to right, moving Kim to second. A SBCC error allowed Kim to reach third.
SBCC brought in Charlie Adamson and he got the final two outs on a strikeout and a grounder to shortstop.
Adamson retired Chaffey in order in the ninth with two strikeouts and a groundout.
SBCC jumped on Chaffey reliever James Rivera in the bottom of the ninth as Carson Cahoy singled and Sebastian Arguelles drew a walk. After Shane Lamas fouled out to the third baseman, Ghiorso hit his walk-off homer.
The Vaqueros took a 1-0 lead in the third on a RBI single from Presley Koscuisko, who drove in Daniel Hirose.
Chaffey scored twice in twice in the fifth. The tying run came on a wild pitch and Austin Easter singled in the go-ahead run.
Coleton Dahl started the game for SBCC and went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Carter Park (Santa Barbara High alum) struck out two in the sixth and White got the call in the seventh. Adamson struck out three in 1.2 innings and picked up the win.
The same teams play again on Saturday at Pershing Park. An SBCC win would tie the program record for best start to a season.