Walsh, Landrum Lead Gulls Past Visalia

Dave Walsh shut down the Visalia Oaks for seven innings, allowing six hits and one run to help the Ventura Gulls to an 8-1 California League victory Thursday in Visalia.

Walsh, a left-hander from Woodland Hills who attended El Camino Real High, evened his record at 1-1 while allowing no walks and striking out seven. William Shanks pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win for the Gulls, who improved their record to 30-17 in the Southern Division standings.

Walsh was locked in a pitching duel with Visalia’s Al Cardwood (3-3) until Ventura erupted for four runs in the eighth inning. Darryl Landrum supplied the key blow in the inning with a three-run home run.

Visalia had taken a 1-0 lead off Walsh in the sixth on a solo home run by Joey Aragon, his third. Ventura responded with two runs in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of a dropped fly ball in the outfield. Ventura loaded the bases on a single, walk and hit batsman before Luis Reyna lofted a fly ball to left field where Kevin Wiggins dropped it for an error, allowing two runs to score.

Landrum’s blow fueled the four-run eighth and the Gulls added two unearned runs in the ninth to close out the scoring. Reyna and Eric Yelding each picked up two hits to key Ventura’s seven-hit attack.

The Gulls have won two straight from the Oaks and close out the three-game series tonight.