Conner Dand pitched five solid innings on Saturday and Saddleback got the timely hits in a 4-1 baseball victory over SBCC.
The Gauchos (5-1) took two out of three from the Vaqueros (3-2).
Dand held Santa Barbara to one run on three hits in the first five innings. Three relievers allowed just two hits in the last four frames to complete the five-hitter.
Reinhard Lautz drove in Shane Hersh with a single to tie it 1-1 in the fifth. Saddleback took a 2-1 lead on Brett Auerbach's RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. In the eighth, the Gauchos loaded the bases on three walks with one out. Spencer Heinsius delivered a two-run single to left off reliever Steven Elliott to stretch the lead to 4-1.
Jayden Metz started for the Vaqueros and went 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and four walks. SBCC used five relievers in the last 3.2 innings.
Hersh and Jake Holton had two hits each for the Vaqueros.
Santa Barbara will make the long trek to Reedley (near Fresno) for a nonconference game on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
