San Marcos moves into first place with one week left in Channel League baseball race

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - San Marcos pushed across 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Erik Perez shutdown Buena as the Royals blanked the Bulldogs 3-0 to move into first place in the Channel League.

The Royals are 8-3-1 in league, a half a game ahead of Santa Barbara and Rio Mesa who are 8-4.

San Marcos scored all three runs without registering a hit in the sixth inning.

Ari Rabinowitz raced home on a wild pitch for the first run of the game.

Sophomore Miles Herbert looped a ball into center field with the bases loaded to knock in the second run.

Usually that would have been a single but Buena forced a runner at second on the play.

Nate Jones scored the third run of the inning after another pitch got away to the backstop.

Perez worked out of a one-out, two-on jam in the top of the seventh to nail down the win.

San Marcos plays at Rio Mesa on Tuesday and then hosts the Spartans on Thursday.