Moffat, Ventura Close In on Pierce With 3-1 Victory : College baseball: Right-hander’s four-hit performance against the Brahmas leaves the upstart Pirates a half-game out of first.

Since the Ventura College baseball team embarked on its winning ways in the Western State Conference, skeptics have figured it was only a matter of time before the upstart Pirates faded.

It’s time to reassess.

Behind the dominating four-hit pitching of right-hander Andy Moffat, host Ventura posted an impressive 3-1 victory over co-defending WSC champion Pierce on Friday. The Pirates (18-6, 11-2 in conference play), who finished sixth last year, moved within a half-game of the first-place Brahmas (20-3-1, 12-2).

“I hope (the skeptics) still don’t respect us,” Ventura Coach Gary Anglin said. “Our opponents are more talented than us. But we have a sophomore-oriented team that plays within the system.”

Ventura’s system relies on quality pitching--and Moffat’s effort against the high-scoring Brahmas was nothing short of top quality. After yielding Pierce’s only run on a second-inning, run-scoring triple by Herman Merchan, Moffat held the state’s second-ranked team to an infield single the rest of the way in his second complete game.

Using a fastball, curve and split-finger pitch, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound sophomore struck out eight and walked five to improve to 5-1. Pierce, which has six games remaining, went hitless from the third inning until the ninth.

“Whenever I pitch against a real good team like that I throw better,” said Moffat, a former Newbury Park High player. “I was fortunate to pitch today (because) we had a rainout on Wednesday and I got moved up (in the pitching rotation).”

Ventura scored all the runs it needed against right-hander Chris Brown (5-2) in the first. Leadoff hitter Kasha Clemons opened with a towering home run to left, his first. Kwinn Knight followed with a single and scored one out later when Carlos Rios, who had three hits, looped a run-scoring single to right-center to give Ventura a 2-0 lead.