Aggressive base running and reliable pitching propelled the Santa Barbara Vaqueros to a 9-2 victory over the struggling Moorpark Raiders on Saturday at Pershing Park.

Vaqueros’ outfielder Brenden Pichette had a tremendous game going 5-5, including two doubles, one RBI, and four stolen bases.

“He played back-up last year, and he has not only worked himself into a starting role, but also taken the next step into becoming a leader on this team,” head coach Teddy Warrecker said.

Starting pitcher Bryce Uhrig also played well, by recording seven strikeouts in seven innings while only allowing two runs.

“I’ll only get better as the season goes along,” Uhrig said. “Maybe I relied too much on my curveball today, but it worked, so no big deal.”

What also helped the Vaqs was the abundance of stolen bases and successful bunts which gave them a 6-1 lead in only the third inning. By that time they had already gone through the batting order twice.

Warrecker attributed much of his team success on this tactic, noting that it forced the Raiders to bring in their infield thus opening up gaps for the hitters.

The fourth inning saw the Raiders attempt to counter the Vaqs aggressive play by loading the bases with two singles and a walk. The next Moorpark hitter would be walked by Uhrig reducing the Vaqueros lead to 6-2 with the heart of the order coming to the plate.

Pichette thwarted the Raiders comeback attempt by catching a ball in center field from Jonathan Villareal to bring the Raiders threat to an end, which calmed the 60 Vaqueros fans in attendance.

In the fifth inning Vaqueros second baseman Andrew Leighty would start a trend, being the first to be hit by a pitch. Moorpark pitchers would hit five City College hitters allowing the Vaqueros many free base runners.

“We see those as free base runners,” added Warrecker.

Vaqueros outfielder Corey Krupp would put the game out of reach in the eighth when his double into left field drove in two runs, giving the Vaqs a 9-2 lead. Warrecker added that he was impressed by the improvement Krupp had made throughout this season.

Krupp went 3-5, hitting one double and two singles, along with three RBI’s.

The win gave the Vaqueros a 12-5 overall record, and a 3-2 record versus conference teams putting them tied for second place with Ventura College.

Moorpark fell to 5-11 overall and a 1-4 record in conference play.

The next Vaqueros home game will be at 1 p.m. next Saturday against Ventura.