The number seven proved to be very lucky for the Raiders as they rallied from a two-run deficit in the seventh inning to beat the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros 3-2, Thursday afternoon at Raider Field.

The game started off as a pitching duel, with neither team able to muster up any consistent offense. It wasn’t until a fourth inning triple that the Vaqueros got on the board to take a 1-0 lead.

Despite giving up a run in the fourth, freshman pitcher Landon Hunt kept his poise, and only allowed one more run through seven innings.

The seventh inning is where everything just clicked.

Bret Hackenberry’s RBI-double cut the Vaqueros lead to one run.

With two men on base and both in scoring position, the Raiders were able to capitalize.  A sacrifice fly and an RBI-single later, the Raiders had their first and only lead at 3-2 through seven innings.

The Raiders (9-18-1, 2-11 WSC) did not need to score again, and held off the Vaqueros (17-12. 7-6) for the 3-2 win.

While Hunt pitched well throughout the game, the three-run seventh inning by the Raiders seemed to fire him up, giving the Vaqueros a tough time at the plate.

“My stuff was just working today,” Hunt said. “All my pitches felt good [and] I felt good in the bullpen before the game. The team played well and it really helps you focus when your whole team is playing well.”

Head coach Mario Porto felt that while the hitting and base running in the seventh were key to winning the game, it was Hunt’s ability to keep a good hitting team off balance and off the scoreboard that helped the Raiders pull out the victory.

“He throws his off-speed pitches for strikes, and he’s able to spot his fastball when he needs to spot his fastball,” Porto said. “He just kept them off balance. I mean those guys are a good hitting team and they’ve been hitting all year long, and for that guy to go out and strike out twelve or thirteen…he did a great job.”