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VALLEY GLEN – After falling behind in the second inning and then trailing by as many as five runs, the Ventura County Pirates finally took the lead on what became the final pitch of the ballgame. With two runners aboard and the Pirates trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Jason Ajamian blasted a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall and left the Orange County Riptide on the field, securing an 8-7 victory and sending his dugout and the crowd at LA Valley College into a frenzy.
The Pirates now hold a 2-1 win-loss record against California Collegiate League opponents in their nonleague matchups this summer, and a 20-6 record overall.
Pitcher Jason Whaley ended up earning the win for his two innings in relief. He allowed one earned run off of two hits and struck out three Riptide batters in his outing.
Frank Garriola contributed to the Pirate offense with two singles and a triple, with two runs scored.
Adrian Campos also went deep on Tuesday, his solo home run helping to keep the Pirates’ hopes alive.
On Friday the Pirates will face the Conejo Oaks on the road for another bout with a CCL team, before returning home to host the Inland Valley Pirates in a Saturday doubleheader and the Orange County Legends on Sunday.