Big 7th Inning Lifts Ventura, 10-6

SALINAS —  Darryl Landrum tripled home two runs to key a four-run seventh inning as the Ventura County Gulls defeated the Salinas Spurs, 10-6, in a California League game Wednesday night.

The Gulls (17-26) also got run-scoring infield singles in the inning from Jim Bishop and Mike Jones to stretch a 4-3 lead into an 8-3 advantage.

Bishop added a two-run home run in the ninth inning to complete the Gulls’ scoring.

Todd Provence worked six innings to improve his record to 5-8. Doug Swearingen (9-6) took the loss.

Salinas (27-18) opened the scoring in the third inning when Tom Krause tripled in Rennie Brown, who had walked.

Ventura County came back to take the lead for good in the fourth inning. Luis Reyna led off with a double and scored two outs later on a wild pitch by Swearingen. Landrum, who had walked and took third on the wild pitch, scored on Domingo Martinez’s single to give the Gulls a 2-1 lead.

In the fifth inning, Eric Yelding reached base on an infield hit and stole second base. Santiago Garcia then reached on an error, and Reyna beat out another infield hit to load the bases. Geronimo Berroa and Greg Myers followed with sacrifice flies to score Yelding and Garcia as Ventura County opened a 4-1 lead.

After Salinas crept within 4-3 in the sixth, Reyna singled and stole second base to open the seventh. Berroa was then hit by a pitch to precede Landrum’s bases-clearing triple.

Landrum scored on Bishop’s infield single. Bishop then stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on Jones’ infield hit.