A six-run fourth inning helped propel the Vikings to a 9-3 victory in game two over Mt. Sac on Saturday.
Starting pitcher Marcellus Henry went seven innings with five strikeouts while only allowing three runs.
When asked why he was successful today Henry said, “Definitely throwing a lot of strikes, getting my slider over for a strike, my cutters for strikes and honestly my defense kept me in the game all day.”
The Vikings found themselves down 3-1 heading to the bottom of the fourth.
After a bases-loaded walk by freshman first baseman Ryan Geck, sophomore catcher Tito Haycox laced a line drive into left, tying the game at three.
Following a two-out error, sophomore Malik Clayton cleared the bases with a double to left field, bringing the score to 7-3 Vikings.
“I was down 1-2, I was just trying to keep my hands on top of the ball, they had a shift on me and I just took advantage,” said Clayton.
Freshman Luke Pollard came in the eighth inning and closed out the game with two shutout innings.
After throwing a complete game in the first matchup, sophomore Evan Vazquez collected three hits in the second game, along with two RBIs.
“Evan is one of the best pitchers in the conference, and he hits really good on days he pitches,” said head coach Casey Crook.
With his 3-4 performance at the plate in the second game, Evan’s batting average rose to .600 on days he is the starting pitcher.
While pitching plagued LBCC earlier in the season, the Viking pitching staff’s ERA was 1.67 in the three-game set.
The sweep over Mt. Sac improves Long Beach’s record to 3-0 in conference play.
The Vikings hope to stay hot on the road against Rio Hondo on Tuesday.