MONTEREY -- Two Vikings hit their first recorded home runs of the season and West Valley scord seven in the ninth inning to aid in its first conference win of its season. The victory broke a two-game skid for the Vikings, who had dropped each of the first two games of the conference slate to Monterey Peninsula.

West Valley (15-7, 1-2 Coast-South) was on its third game in four days against the Lobos, starting a new-look conference schedule where teams in the Coast Conference play on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in a home-and-home-and-home series. After scoring just three runs through the first 17 innings of conference play, West Valley continued momentum from a three-run ninth inning on Thursday to an 18-run outburst against the Lobos (15-8, 2-1 Coast-South). Though the MPC bats heated up down the stretch, the Vikings came out on top, 18-13.

For the second consecutive day, the Vikings jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Joey Damelio and Eric Altmark led off the ballgame with a walk and a single, respectively, before a two-run double from Jordan Montez with two down in the inning brought both runs home. 

But the top of the Lobo lineup, itself on fire through the first two games of the series, struck back immediately in the bottom half. After arguably his best start of the season, Quincy Winkler took the ball for the Vikings and allowed three straight baserunners to start the inning. The third, Andrew Wasilchuk, singled and brought home two runners when Winkler's throw went wide of the first base bag. The righty then set down the side in order, but the damage had been done. In the bottom of the second, MPC took the lead after two hit batters and a base hit.

The top of the third inning seemed like more smooth sailing for Monterey Peninsula starter Robbie Lardner after he coaxed a pop up from Damelio and a ground out from Altmark. But Parker Kristall, already with eight home runs on the season, hit his ninth to tie the game at three. In response, Winkler turned in his first 1-2-3 frame of the game while striking out a pair on the bottom half of the third.

In the top of the fourth, Bobby Hill knocked a one-out single before Kenji Colston, who had his only home run of the season to this point wiped off due to an incomplete game from earlier in the season, homered to score a pair and give the Vikings their first lead since the first. They'd keep it going with two outs in the inning, with Damelio and Altmark both singling, before Kristall reached on an error to bring home some insurance.

Winkler, now in a groove, set down the side without allowing a run in the bottom of the fourth before a singular run came home in the fifth. He continued into the sixth inning for the second-straight start, but allowed a two-out single that brought the score within one before being replaced. Overall, the 6-foot-8 righty tossed 5.2 innings while striking out a season-high eight batters.

As the game (and both teams' bullpens) went deeper, runs started to pile for each side. Now leading by just one in the top of the seventh, Damelio led off the inning with a walk and pushed to second with a sacrifice bunt from Altmark. With two outs, David Estrada continued to be red-hot with runners in scoring position while singling in Damelio. A hit by pitch and a walk loaded the bases for Hill, who cleared the bases with his first collegiate home run. Julian Ito responded on the bump with a 1-2-3 inning, and momentum was in the Vikings' favor.

That momentum wouldn't last very long, as MPC pitching hung a zero, quieting the Viking bats in the top of the eighth before a three-run home run for Wasilchuk brought the game even closer.

But the wheels came off for the Lobos in the ninth. With the bases loaded and one out, a Colston walk and a Ghiglieri single pushed home two runs, a Damelio hit by pitch and an Altmark sacrifice fly brought home two more, and Kristall's second home run of the day capped a seven-run inning. That marked Kristall's 10th home run, the fastest a Viking has reached the double-digit mark in recorded history and already tied for 15th in a single season in West Valley modern history.

West Valley needed every inch of that insurance. Five straight hits from the Lobos scored three runs, a sac fly from Wasilchuk brought in a fourth, and a bases-loaded walk brought in a fourth. All of a sudden, the Lobos had the tying run in the on deck circle, but Johnnie DeBrum struck out swinging to end the ballgame.

Now, the Vikings look to jump back to, and then over, the .500 mark in conference play, heading to Salinas to take on Hartnell on Tuesday before playing the Panthers at home on Thursday. First pitch all week long will be at 2:30.